Accel World: The Wings of Time
by Seiji Godspeed
Summary: Accel World: A fic running alongside the novel/manga/anime's timeline, which will explore the internal conflict inside Nega Nebulas. Lots of OCs, less canon, but please enjoy!
1. Chapter 1 Prologue Initialize

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Prologue: "initialize"  
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"Listen, Burst Linkers of the Six King's Legions!"

High above the heavens, Her voice rang throughout the virtual realm with a deep, resounding tone.

"I am Black Lotus, the one who rebels against thrones!"

The stark contrast of her deep black and purple laden avatar against the silvery white hue of the one carrying her, with fleeting wings as pure as the holy light, could be seen as something straight out of a fantasy novel. Quite unbelievable, he thought.

"Me and my Legion, Nega Nebulas, have emerged from hiding to put an end to this fallacious peace! Take up your swords and raise your torches!"

To the ones watching below them, it's a sight to behold, it was next to majestic. The 'Black King', Black Lotus, the Accelerated World's biggest and most wanted traitor, has been miraculously revived, and is now declaring havoc against the cyberspace realm.

"It is time to fight!"

She ended strongly, making her monologue a very powerful instrument of war.

With the cries and panic of those below her, the one called Silver Crow, who just bashed Cyan Pile into submission slowly descended, and amidst the confusion, with communication being transponded in an out as well as the initial shock of the open channel wide broadcast, the trio, Black Lotus, Silver Crow and Cyan Pile quietly Linked Out.

Against the dusty wall that he leaned in to, the bulk of the shadowy jet-black started moving. His gauntlets smashed the dusty concrete it landed on to as he propelled himself up. [i]"Why, Why now of all times, Black Lotus?"[/i] With a ghastly voice that emanated from deep within the void-like structure of his face plate helmet, his voice rang deep and low.

Beside him was a more slender-framed female-looking silver avatar, lightly armored and with a slight radiating white aura swirling, she started picking herself up from sitting down. "Heh, so it begins." She said, whispering as she dusted herself off and started walking away. "What are you gonna do now, Noir Eraser?" She added.

"It should be pretty obvious right now isn't it, Mercuric Void? As with the previous agreement, and in-line with the goals of The 7th Rift, I will..." The black avatar grumbled as he started walking away as well. "...Utterly destroy Nega Nebulas, and subjugate Black Lotus's throne." He finished with an almost regretful tone of voice, as if something was holding it back.

"Hoohh... So even you have regrets..." Glancing back, the silvery avatar gave him a smirk, just as the words Accept Duel? appeared in front of their interfaces. "...But never mind, I know you will never take your words back, so I trust you.".

After their eyes met, the black and the silver avatar then placed both their index fingers over the respective Yes option.

"I will destroy this world. And in return, I shall create a new world, a world full of colors. If selling my soul to the devil is the payment for this, then it is a price I will gladly pay." The black avatar said as he pressed the Yes option at the same time as the silver, followed by the appearance of the words Duel Start! in a flaming font, together with an additional two sets of HP and Special Attack Gauge bars under under the names Oxide Rain and Sunburst Frenzy, their respective opponents.

"Heh, I would like to see your "world" someday". Whispered Mercuric Void softly as she held up her right hand up, conjuring a mass of silvery colored mercury, as it bubbled and fizzed, she placed her left hand over it, then slowly glided it away to split the liquid. "Gun form, activate." With that command, the swirling mass suddenly took shape, two silver colored handguns on each hand.

"It will surely take form..." Noir Eraser exclaimed as he twirled his black spear around, kicking up the dust around him, obscuring his stance. "...Once Black Lotus starts to beg for mercy under my hegemony." He added shortly before he charged head on towards the two Burst Linkers in front of him, spearhead at the ready to impale.

Taking the cue, Mercuric Void started dashing closely behind him, raining mercuric bullets against the now-confused Oxide Rain and Sunburst Frenzy, guessing as much as that they were pretty under leveled, but she didn't care, she will cut down all the enemies in front of her, be it weaker or stronger.

"Haaaaaaahrh!" The black nightmare called Noir Eraser screamed in full force as he drove is cursed spear into Oxide Rain's chest, skewering him helpless as he started raising him up, the spear gradually sinking deeper into his bland, whitish armor, blue liquid spattering out of his armor's supposed "mouth". "Time to perish. Remember the name Noir Eraser as you walk through the shadows of the valley of death!" He added as he began twisting the black spear, now partly covered in blue-bloodlike stains, sending the poor Burst Linker into a slow and agonizing death as his HP meter started dropping gradually.

All his partner, Sunburst Frenzy could do was stand in watch as his comrade's life force started draining. He could do nothing against these monsters. They were wrong to think that they were weaklings, and they are paying the price for it now. Feeling the closeness of death in his own front door, his mind simply went numb and, drawing his twin shot swords up, he began to slowly accelerated towards Noir Eraser, who was still holding Oxide Rain high up in the air -but he couldn't get that far.

"Katana form, activate." Giving the command just milliseconds before he took off, the twin handguns in Mercuric Void's hands quickly fused as one, briefly turning back into it's original liquid mercury form before it took another shape, this time, a curved-edge katana. It shone with a magnificent color, reflecting and effectively amplifying the low light density around them, one of mercury's outstanding qualities, before being stained yellow -as it cut cleanly, severing Sunburst Yellow's head from ear to ear, with yellow liquid splattering all over. With a sadistic laugh, Mercuric Void used her feet to step on the severed head which was lying a few feet away from the body. "Yes, show me, show me how Gods destroys and creates worlds! Show me! Show me how!" She shouted, still laughing in joy as her foot smashed the head, turning it into blue pixels before evaporating into thin air.

"A God? Hahahahahaha! Don't joke around. There is no "God" inside this hellish place!" Noir Eraser shouted back, this time with a sarcastic tone as he swung his spear downwards, releasing Oxide Rain from the impalement a few meters away from him. "There are only demons, people who are thirsty for blood, for conflict, for destruction! There is no peace, only madness and retribution!" The words Noir Eraser shouted were too much for the battered Oxide Rain, and holding his chest which was gushing out with white blood, he started to pick himself up and run away but...

"Splintered Wings!" The command reverberated through his ears, and a second later, he could only look down on himself as a black, snake-like object binded his body, it's grip gradually being tighter and tighter until he couldn't breathe anymore. He could no longer mutter any words as the pain of his chest wound inflamed him while the air is being forced out of him, all he could do was glance up the sky, looking at the sunless horizon, before his vision shattered, with blue pixels raining down on him as he last thing he saw.

"I told you, there is no peace and retribution here. Only death exists for the weak." Noir Eraser said as he retracted his spear, putting it back into it's original form, glancing at the System Notification in front of him which read Congratulations! You have reached Level 7!. With a smirk in his mouth hidden deep within his jet-black armor, he swung his spear sideways, splashing the ground with Oxide Rain's white blood one last time, before saying: "...Gods only exist in places where they are loved. But down here, there is no love, only hatred. And I will drag them down to this hell and I will be the one who will pass judgment to them." As his own avatar started to shine blue and evaporate as well.

In a few seconds, Noir Eraser disappeared from the match list,effectively logging out from the game.

"I will surely enjoy this show." Mercuric Void followed up as she too went and did the same action.

The Godless place stained with the blood of the defeated.

The world where time accelerated a thousand fold.

This is the cruel and merciless world of Burst Linkers.

This is Brain Burst.

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A/N: This fic is my very first fic that I've actually published, so be a little bit considerate about the ratings and reviews, but please do so and look forward to the continuation!  
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	2. Chapter 2 Extract

**xxx  
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**Chapter 1: "Extract"**

**xxx  
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**=Link Out**!=

The blue-colored aura that enveloped the world around him started to fall apart, bursting into blue-like pixels in a blink of an eye, and with it's fadeout, the colors of life and the wheels of time began to slowly catch up. The light blue sky, the gray concrete, the green bench, the pink lunch box he was holding on his left, and the red pair of chopsticks he had on his right, in an instant, it seems as if they were reborn, life anew.

But he was used to it, he's done it a lot of times, hundreds, no, perhaps even thousand of times. Diving into the secret and forbidden world of =Brain Burst=, where time accelerated a thousand fold, and where duels to the death where fought. Yes, in that crazy and merciless world, hidden in-between the unforgiving gears of time.

_"Kenneth?"_ Said the girl beside him, intently looking as if bewildered by his expressionlessness.

Snapping out of the jet-lag like feeling of the accelerated world, Kenneth Kusanagi, or simply "KK", regained his senses after spacing out for a bit. "Hmm? Yeah? What's up, Miyu?" He replied with a soft smile as he faced towards the figure beside him, aptly smiling as he holds up his chopsticks near the lunch box.

_"Oh, well, nothing really. You just seemed... So distant... But never mind! Ahahaha~"_ The girl called "Miyu" replied, with the warm, yet gentle noon breeze sweeping her shoulder length reddish hair back, while her eyes fixated on Kenneth as she sat on the green bench, holding up a bite-sized sandwich.

_"Uhh... Okay. Anyways, thanks for the really delicious lunch, I appreciate it."_ Replied Kenneth as he quietly feasted on what he was given; steamed pork cutlets with seaweed-seasoned rice and broccolis for side dish, it was a treat to be thankful about, as he was on a tight budget since he went and spent all his lunch money on new software. _"I hope this is not the last time I taste it."_ He added, downing another mouthful.

_"Of course! Haha if you wanted, I could even cook for you everyday! Well, that is..."_ She said as she hung her head downwards while fidgeting. _"...If you're okay with it..."_ Miyu then added, a light streak of redness flushing her face, unbeknown to Kenneth as she continued to cast her gaze downwards.

_"Why not? Your cooking level is almost on par with..."_ Ending with a small sigh, Kenneth almost choked on his words, seemingly bringing back memories he didn't want to remember.

_"What's the matter KK? Are you okay?"_ Concerned, Miyu glanced up, seeing Kenneth gazing at the distant horizon, as if his mind was elsewhere, yet still holding the meal she gave him.

**XXX**

The aromatic scent of grilled meat permeated the vicinity of the Kusanagi household, almost entrancing the neighbors with it's mouth watering scent.

_"Nee-san! I'm done with these games! Wanna borrow them?_" His voice thundered around the house as his footsteps rumbled while he ran around in joy after clearing the games he bought just a few days back, bragging about them to his older sister who was preparing dinner in the kitchen.

"_Oh really? Didn't you just got them like, the other day?_" The small framed girl with her back facing towards Kenneth didn't exactly had the charming allure of a 'woman', yet she was on her way there. The way she waltzed in the kitchen was just amazing, her pink apron swaying to and fro as she went about, relishing in the herbs spices for tonight's dinner with relative ease and mastery. Then, holding up her auburn hair to tie it in a nice back-laden ponytail while biting into the rubber band used to tie it, she turned around, seeing the young Kenneth happily sitting down by the dining table, a sweet yet mischievous grin painted on his face. "_Ha! I knew it, you went through and through since you did another one of those 'speed runs' eh? Don't you think it's better if you slow down and enjoy it every once in a while?_" She added as she slid the rubber band to hold her long hair up, away from the food she was cooking.

"_Hahahaha. No chance. I wanted to play as many games as I can to polish up my skills!_" Putting his arms together behind his head, Kenneth happily exclaimed. "_I wanna be the fastest game clearer in the world! Hahahahaha!_" He added as he laughed heartily, kicking up the chair to lean slightly backwards.

As she returned to minding the hot pan in front of her, the girl called Chloe Kusanagi lightly smirked. "_The 'fastest' game clearer, huh_." She muttered to herself as she tossed and turned the uncharred piece of meat, cooking it evenly on both sides. Throwing a quick glance to him, Chloe smiled as she added, "_Hhmm, not bad Kenneth, not bad for a goal._"

"_Right? Hehehehe~ So far I've cleared about... Let's say, 70 or something games. If only I had more money... Ugh!_" Propping the chair back to it's normal position, Kenneth began scratching his head from frustration. "_Now, if only mom will give me more lunch money, I could buy most of the newer ones right off the shelves. Arrgh_." He ended with a down casted tone.

As the sizzle of the stove quietly died down, the smell of their meal slowly began to fill Kenneth's nose, making his stomach growl in anticipation. A good kid as he is, he stood up and helped her older sister get the table ready, as it's only the two of them tonight,their mother works night shift so she won't be able to eat dinner with them. The silent clatters of the dishes slowly faded as the two of them sat down and started eating.

"_So KK, tell me..._" Said Chloe as she slowed down on chomping her share, looking directly towards Kenneth as he happily ate. _"...Do you want to be 'faster'?"_

Stopping in between his mouthful glomps, Kenneth glanced up to his older sister, a piece of meat still hanging from the edge of his mouth, _"Errmm.. Fwhah youh meahnh fwhy fwahsther?_" He replied as he was trying to chew what was inside his mouth.

"_Hahaha~ Stop talking while eating, finish it up quickly then we'll talk later after we both get our showers, okay?_" She said as she pointed her chopsticks towards the bulge of food on Kenneth's cheeks. "_...Just go knock on my room afterwards, okay?_" Chloe added, resuming her meal, this time with more life, as if her appetite increased.

"_Okay! I'm excited!_" Kenneth said loudly, not minding the scraps of food scattering around him, sounding like he was really glad to borrow a game from his sister. Well, he should be, given that he idolizes her when it comes to game because she is the one person who got her hooked onto it as well as one of the best gamers he knows, so he thinks it's a real deal for her to let him borrow one. "_But before that, a gamer needs a lot of stamina soooo... SECONDS PLEASE!_" He followed up, holding his clean rice bowl up to his sister.

"_Haha, sure, don't hold back and enjoy it!_" Taking his bowl, Chloe then filled it up with more rice before handing it back to him. "_And make sure you stuff up, we're going to have a gaming session tonight..._" With eyes filled with vibrant happiness, she looked up to her little brother, confident in him, "_...A session you will never forget!_" She ended with a passionate tone, leaving Kenneth a little bewildered and puzzled yet still eager to comply.

"_Yes! Thanks nee-san! You're the best!_" Starkly nodding in exuberance, Kenneth took the bowl handed back to him, his 'gamer's instinct' taking a hold of him, sending shivers up and down running on his spine.

That night, Kenneth wasn't aware that he was going to sign a devil's advocate, little did he know it will change his destiny.

**xxx  
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***Knock Knock*****  
**

Two quick raps on her door.

"_Oh? KK? Wait up, I'm getting dressed._" Chloe said as she pulled out a white halter top along with a pair of blue short-cut jeans. In a few seconds, she slid it over her silky white skin, over her purple undies. She then hurriedly went and opened the door, seeing his little brother in his pajamas. "_Over here, come in and sit down._" She added as she motioned towards the small table in the middle of her room where there are snacks and a pitcher of juice.

As he sat down, Kenneth grabbed a cookie -a lion shaped one, and downed it in one go before glancing towards her elder sister as she stood by the dresser's mirror, subtly combing her long auburn colored hair. "_So nee-san, what game are you going to lend me?_" He mentioned while pouring a glass of the cold orange juice.

As she finished combing her hair and placing it over her right shoulder, she then opened her dresser's drawer, pulling out a two meter =XMB Cable= used for direct connections on =Neuro Linkers=, and after she got it, she went over and sat down on the opposite side of the table. "_KK, you... Know how to use the direct link option of your =Neuro Linker=, right?_" She asked as she connected one end of the cable to her own =Neuro Linker= at the right hand side of her neck, while handing out the other end to Kenneth, motioning him to do the same.

"_Uuhh... Well yeah, I know how to but... You can just share the =File= to our =Local Home Network=, right?_" Kenneth replied half-heartedly as he looked away, his face blushing with embarrassment. "_...This... Is kinda... Embarrassing..._" He added.

For one, direct linking with a cable is one form of 'intimacy' that was considered to be shared only by people who are either really close, have relationships or are going out. So basically, this setup is kinda new to him, let alone embarrassing.

"_Huh? Hahaha! You're still a kid after all_." Mildly laughing, Chloe didn't wait for Kenneth to take the cable's other end and decided to plug it in herself. "_There, all done, you know how to mind-talk right?_" Then, without opening her mouth, Chloe let her mind do the talking, her thoughts directly carried through her =Neuro Linker=, past the cable and to Kenneth's own =Neuro Linker=.

Surprised at his sister's sudden advance, he wasn't able to do anything so he just let her take the lead. _"Y-yeah."_ He replied using his mind, still embarrassed.

_"Good, then there shouldn't be any problems now."_ Chloe began talking as she picked up a cookie and nibbled on it, beside her was a glass of cold orange juice. _"Before we begin, let me first ask you. Do you want to 'accelerate'?"_ She delivered it with a serious tone, her eyes darting over his' in just a few seconds.

_"Wh-what do you mean by 'accelerate', nee-san?"_ Puzzled, Kenneth hung his head between his shoulders in a quizzical look. _"I just don't get it.. Is it a new game? I haven't heard of it..._", He continued, sipping his juice.

_"It is. And I have selected one of the 'best' and 'fastest' gamer I know, which is you, KK."_ And with a few strokes of her fingers over her visionary keyboard, Chloe flicked, sending a file over to Kenneth, in the form of a small bat fluttering towards him. _"Now, accept it, this is my gift to you..."_

The bat flew quickly towards him, reaching him in just a couple of seconds. Kenneth then catches it with his right inder finger, the bat perched on it, and a notification popped in front of him, =**Filename: BRAIN_BURST= =Extract Now?= =Yes= =No=**. He could feel his heartbeat beginning to bang louder and louder as the seconds drew by. _"=B-Brain Burst=... Is this the name of this 'new game'?"_ He asked, his voice shaky yet still filled with confidence.

_"Yes. It is called =Brain Burst=. It is a game where I need help with. So I came to you, the 'fastest' gamer I know."_ Chloe answered, her figure still silently nibbling on the cookies. _"Now, extract it, and install it on your =Neuro Linker=!"_ She added as she pointed towards the Yes option.

_"S-Sure..."_ He said as he hovered his finger over the said option, giving it about 1/60th of a second to ponder on before finally clicking it. The blue loading bar glided across his vision, grinding to a slow progress at the end before showing the system notification which said =**BRAIN_BURST Extract Successful=**. _"There, it's already extracted, should I install it now nee-san?"_

Nodding with her eyes closed, Chloe gave her go signal as soon as Kenneth double tapped on the BB icon saved on his Desktop.

The program booted up, flames covering about 30% of his vision, with the big words =**BRAIN BURST=** etched in the middle of it, a crimson loading bar slowly started filling up under it.

Those flames, were shown to the program install person for checking Acceleration aptitude.

_"There are two aptitudes required to become a Burst Linker. First, wear a =Neuro Linker= right after birth, which you cleared without any doubt. However the problem is the second one, the brain s reaction speed."_ She explained, filling up her cup with more orange juice. _"The =Neuro Linker= communicates with the wearer s brain using wireless quantum signals. But, the flesh organ that is the brain s response differ from person to person. Either born with high reaction nerve circuits, or increased through long training, anyway if the =Neuro Linker= and the brain's response speed is not beyond a certain level, the illusion flames will become extinguished in the middle, and Brain Burst will not successfully install._" She continued as she placed the pitcher back on the table, now half-full. _"The =Brain Burst= program that I will send you is a game, yet it is not. In exchange for tremendous privileges, pleasure and thrill, it requires many different kinds of compensation and equal exchanges. Someday... You might regret it."_ She ended with a whisper, muttering words almost completely inaudible to Kenneth who was still in the middle of the progress bar.

In the accelerated world, the feelings of people who fought there - hatred, resentment, envy, lust and other different malice feelings can be trapped in the whirlpool. She absolutely does not want to see the shape of the innocent Kenneth being hurt after exposure to that.

Yet, she needs him more than anything, she needed a friend, a comrade, someone whom she can trust her back with. She doesn't have too many options. She will gamble on it, she will do her utmost best to nurture protect Kenneth from the opposition, no matter how dire it may be.

_"No, I won't regret it, nee-san! As long as you are with me, I will never ever regret playing any game!"_ Kenneth haughtily laughed as the progress bar slid a little bit more. _"Whoa, it's running really slow now!"_ His grin suddenly faded, replaced by a worrying knack as the crimson flames stopped moving for a while.

_"No... Maybe failure is even better."_ This time, Chloe sank deep into the table, her head buried in her arms as she waited for the installation results.

What seemed like hours, were only just seconds. The dank air inside her room circulated, the sweet after-taste of the cookies still inside their senses, and the perspiration left by the orange juice-filled glass was slowly dripping on the table, creating a puddle of water.

Then, at that time.

Kenneth s face that was turning as he looked around, became fixed to what is right in front of him.

As he winkled her sort of thin, almost girly looking eyebrows, his pupils moved from left to right.

His mouth opened slightly, and the flesh sound that dripped from there, Chloe listened while holding her breath.

_"What is, this? W..._ **=WELCOME TO THE ACCELERATED WORLD=**_?"_

**_xxx  
_**A/N: So here were are with Chapter 1, which aimed to produce flashbacks for KK. Phew, took me a few days to finish it, sorry for the late release, I haf'ta balance work, play and this so yeah. Please do look forward to the next Chapter and do me some R&R thanks!

**xxx**


	3. Chapter 3 Fatal Error

**xxx**  
**Chapter 2: "Fatal_Error"  
****xxx**

Kenneth opened his mouth slightly, and a flesh sound resonated as Chloe listened whilst holding her breath, _"What is, this? =W... Welcome To The... Accelerated World?="_ He said, his eyes rolling from left to right, reading out aloud the words stretched across his vision, flooding his view with flames. _"Nee-san, does this mean..."_ Kenneth added as looked sideways towards Chloe, who was still looking up to him as she raised her head slightly from being buried in her arms.

_"D-Did you j-just said... You got on to the welcome screen?"_ Chloe replied, her face tensed up with traces of worry and fear, yet her eyes were full of excitement as she sat straight up, pushing the cookies and glass away before reaching on to Kenneth's shoulder, holding him firmly.

_"Uuhh yeah I think so..."_ Kenneth then started fiddling around, checking what was different, seeing the BB icon on his virtual desktop, pinned to his taskbar. _"So what did you mean by that 'aptitude' thingy? I didn't quite get it nee-san..."_ Kenneth added, his eyes still darting from one spot to another, almost itching to launch the program.

_"Ah, yes. Brain Burst cannot be installed by someone without a high level of brain neurological response rate. For example, like someone that can make stupidly huge scores in virtual games. When you saw the illusion flames, the program was checking your brain s response. If there s not enough aptitude, you won t even see the title logo. However... I was a little bit surprised. For me, it took about two minutes of doubt whether to accept this strange program. This made all the speech I prepared to convince you useless."_ With the lengthy speech, Chloe released Kenneth's shoulders and went back to her seat, grabbing the orange juice and sipping almost three quarters of it in one go as she wiped her brow free from sweat.

_"Ah... Sorry. But, that, nothing... Seems to be happening. It s not a resident application, but a select execution type?"_ Asked Kenneth as he continued to stare at the shortcut icon, now almost afraid to even launch the program with what his sister just told him. _"Well, never mind. Can we skip the intro and play it right now?"_ He added, his right index finger hovering over the icon.

_"Well, don t be in such a hurry. For now you will need a little mental preparedness. I will explain the basic functions later. Why, we have plenty of time."_ Standing up, Chloe ended the argument as she went over her bed and sat down by the edge. _"Right now you need to have some rest, lots of it. So I suggest you forget about it for now and sleep. We'll start your training session tomorrow, nee-san promises. Oh, and one more thing! Don t remove the =Neuro Linker= over night!"_ She added, collapsing in her bed and raising her right arm to bar it across her face, her left motioning in the air, toggling the virtual keyboard to turn off the lights and to pump up the AC.

_"Hhmm... Okay, will do! Tomorrow then nee-san! Thanks for the game!"_ Without a second thought after he heard 'nee-san promises', Kenneth stood up and headed for the door, flashing a wide grin before shutting the door behind him.

_"I'm sorry Kenneth... I... Had to drag you into this..."_Chloe muttered to herself as she dose off into a deep slumber.

**xxx**

That night, he had a dream which was, without a single shred of doubt, the worst he has ever seen.

He wasn't alone, sure. His friends from school, the guys from the software store, the kids next door, all of them... They were playing games. All of them had their new softwares installed and everyone took turns to perform Direct Links to everyone so they can party up and beat some bosses together.

Yet, he had no partner. He didn't even had the game software they were playing.

Everyone looked at him with pitiful expressions, yet they still continued to play amidst the scene.

As the dream progressed, more viewers appeared. His mother appeared beside them, his father that left home long ago also appeared, along with the people living in the town and his classmates, the crowd of people looked down at him.

Their faces no longer had a pitying expression, but a scornful laughter. Many people pointed at the ugly and miserable Kenneth and laughed.

_'Stop. I don t want to be here anymore.'_ Kenneth said to himself as he curled up into a ball at the far end corner, sinking his head deep and low.

While thinking that, he looked up at the dark sky far away, there was a shadow of someone there. With wings darker than night spread out, flying at speeds exceeding what normal vision could decipher.

_'I want to go there too. Higher. Faster. Further.'_

_'Give me a reason.'_

_'A reason to fly.'_

_'A reason to be faster than everybody else.'_**_  
_**

**_"- Is that your wish?"  
_****_  
xxx  
_**

His eyes sting, his throat burns.

The moment he sat up, awoken from a deep slumber, he could feel the sweat dripping from all over his body even if his AC was at a decent level.

He knew he had a dream, no, a nightmare. But he can't remember what happened, his head was all hazy and up in the clouds. Kenneth rolled his eyes left and right, seemingly lost in thought, his body felt light yet heavy at the same time. He then raised his right hand, felt up the =Neuro Linker= by his neck, it's usual cold metal body felt hot for some reasons, images of what happened last night conjuring in his mind.

_**"-_s t_at yo_ w_sh?"**_

As he stood up to get a change of clothes, Kenneth felt a sharp and deep pain from his neck, it's sensation giving him some sort of a throbbing feeling. _"Aaarrrggghh..."_ Kenneth knelt down in pain, his body shuddering and trembling from the sudden pain, his voice was muffled, as if his throat was stuffed by unknown things.

_**"-w_ll y_u s_ i_ un_il_ t_e e_d?"**_

The pain intensified, his body collapsing to the floor, writhing in agony, his eyes screamed wide open, his mouth afixed in a growl-like emotion, his voice unrecognizable, like low and deep rumbles.

_**"-th_n, g_! Fl_! R_s_ tow_a_s the t_wil_gh_! C_t op_n a pa_h t_ th_ fu_u_e!"**_

The throbbing pain inside him then subsided, ending as quickly as it came, the voice that resonated deep within him rang like a voice from the abyss, it's meaning distorted by the numbness he was feeling. As soon as he regained his composure, he felt like he would throw up, suffocated by the stagnant air inside his dark room.

He stood up, hands cradling his head, staggering towards his dresser, grabbing his shirt and sliding it over his sweaty body in one go before heading towards his door which he opened with a _bam_. He wanted to get out of the house, he wanted to breath some fresh air, he felt like he was constricted by some unknown force, and he wanted to get out. A thought on the edge of his mind lingering, _'was it because of =Brain Burst=?'_

_"Hey Kenneth! Where are you going? You haven't had breakfast yet! Don't rush off outside even if it's a Sunday!"_ Then a voice from the kitchen stopped him dead in his tracks, and upon turning his head towards it, he saw his mom preparing breakfast, his senses too late to register the smell of the fried eggs that stemmed from what his mom was cooking. _"Well, if you've got something to do outside and if I can't stop you, take some money with you and grab some breakfast wherever..."_ His mom added as she used her left hand to navigate the visual windows that popped open to her left, while her right hand continued to stir the eggs which were being sauted in the frying pan. _"...Wait Kenneth, you aren't connected to the Home Network."_ She added with a questioning look.

With sweat continuing to drip down his temples, he didn't want to argue further so he tapped his =Neuro Linker=, sending a few commands for it to connect to the =Home Network=, where after a few minutes, a =Notification Window= popped up telling him that =Y1000= was added into his =Virtual Wallet=. Without wasting a single second, he continued on his way out, dashing through the house like a mad dog.

_"Make sure you come home for lunch okay! Your sister will be cooking by then!"_ He heard his mother shout out as he shut the house's main door behind him, his mind constantly thinking about something he might've forgotten, but he can't remember, or more like, he's too busy to remember it.

He ran full speed through the lawn, then out by the gates, before hearing the door of the house open again just as he was just a step away from being outside.

_"Kenneth nooooooooooooooooo!"_ At the corner of his eyes, it registered a running figure, a girl... It was his sister, shouting behind him...

Then that was when he remembered it... Last night, his sister told him...

_"Don't step outside while connected to the Global Network!"_Her voice rang wide, yet it was too late.

xxx

It was all in slow motion.

The world began to be encased in a blue pixel like state, before being eroded into a brownish state, reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic and desolated wasteland, yet the scene before him looked more like his own neighborhood, and it seems as if it was ravaged by war, a scarred place.

In order to get a handle on the situation, he desperately looked around, vaguely noticing something.

The breezy October morning disappeared without a trace, but the surrounding area was still within his memory, he was still in front of his home. The two lane street on the left side, the convenience store and office buildings on the side of the street, and if he turn around, he would see the high-raise mansion that he just left stand with the darkness.

However, the group of cars filling the street heading to Shinjuku, and the people busy with their early morning routines that filled the walkways, both disappeared. Also, the street is cracked and has sinkholes here and there, the guardrail and signs are bent, and the glass on buildings were flashily broken.

At the intersection a couple of blocks away, rubble was piled up like a barricade, forming a huge dome, and something inside was burning, the flames protruding skywards with a bright aura. The scars of destruction included Kenneth's home, concrete pillars were collapsed, the outer wall with a huge hole and other awful likeness.

He wanted to go back home right now to check out his house, with that motivation, he strolled a few steps and looked in the entrance from between the rubble.

Then, his eyes widened in amazement. The building s interior looks like a game s polygon building that was made inside his head, it looks like the inside of a gray flat surface box. No - not looks like. It is just that.

_"W-what's th-this?"_ Looking down on himself, he almost collapsed as he saw a different form, different from the usual =Global Net= avatar he used to use when he is in the cyberworld. _"...This... This is..."_ He silently muttered to himself, whilst holding his arms in front of him.

It was white.

His were encased in bright white gauntlets, as with his legs. He ran his arms on his body, it was metal, shining pure white. An armor? Maybe. He ran across the street, towards the stoplight, glancing up at the convex mirror situated near the pole, he was left speechless. His figure, no, his avatar. It looked like a "Dragoon" from the Final Fantasy series. His helmet was shaped in the form of a dragon's head, a light yet sturdy armor wrapping his body and a majestic red cape fluttered behind him.

He was the very spitting image of a "white knight", a start contrast against this dark realm.

On the far-away reaches of the scene before him, he could see shadows, no, as he squinted his eyes, they were humans, or rather, avatars of humans, in different colors, shapes, sizes, too many to mention. But he was pretty sure they weren't NPC's.

But there was one who stood out.

An avatar who was ash-colored, the body of a woman yet it was robotic, a single, dark green slit shone in the middle of her helmet, and it was looking at him, arms crossed over her chest, standing in the bleachers where one could be reminded of the arenas of old times.

*blip blip*

=Incoming Transmission=

=Sender: Uranium Scourge=

=Read Now?=

=Yes= =No=

His finger quickly tipped =Yes=, and a message window popped open in his field of vision. _"Why did you connect to the network, KK? Didn't I told you last night not to connect?"_ The cryptic tone was almost scrambled and distorted yet he clearly knew who was speaking. It was his sister, Chloe. _"Tsk, no matter. We're already here, nothing we can do about it. Now listen, KK. This is =Brain Burst=."_ She added, not moving an inch.

_"This.. This is Brain Burst..."_ Kenneth replied as he noticed a green bar on his upper left, with the words "=Noir Eraser=" under it, as well as =1800= which counted down. _"So... This looks like a fighting game, am I right, nee-san?"_ He continued, manipulating the in-game menu he saw.

_"Basically, yes it is. But you absolutely cannot afford to lose many fights. I will explain the details further, but for now, you got to concentrate on your fight. You've been challenged to a duel, and you need to win it."_ Chloe, or rather, =Uranium Scourge= said over the comm window, gesturing Kenneth to check the menu to his left.

_"=Attacks=... =Punch=... =Kick=... =Passive Skills=... =None=... =Special Attack=... =None=..."_ Kenneth mumbled as he checked his arsenal of attacks. _"This is a joke, isn't it? I... Seem to only have =Punch= and =Kick= as my attacks, how will I win?"_ He complained, his avatar in an almost laughable pose.

_"You have to bear with it, since those are the starting stuff a =Level 1= =Burst Linker= gets."_ =Uranium Scourge= replied with a cold tone, remembering how it was to start from scratch. _"But right now, it's all you need against a fellow beginner. You can do this, I trust you, KK."_

She added before closing down the comm window.

**=You have been challenged to a duel with: Explosvie Salvo=**

A huge hulk of an avatar was walking straight towards him, it's body ripped with robotic muscle-like protrusions, and on his right hand was something that looked like...

**=Ready?=**

...A gun, no, no just any _gun_. He already saw one of those. A large, cylindrical shape. Numerous barrels that spin around to fire about 1000 rounds per minute, cyclic. A belt, linked to a backpack which was twice as large, possibly carrying thousands, no probably millions of rounds.

It was a gatling gun. And it was something that he should fight, barehanded.

Fight!

Just, What. The. Fuck, Kenneth thought as scenes of a bloody massacre the gun brought on games he previously played, crossed his mind as he cracked his knuckles and stretched his legs, noticing another =HP Bar= across his screen on the right hand side, underneath, the name =Explosive Salvo= was engraved.

***HHNNGGGGGG***

He was kinda familiar with that sound, and as he already confirmed that =Explosive Salvo= was using a gatling gun, so he predicted that...

Before he could even react, a fierce hail of bullets showered him as he scrambled towards the far end of the street to get cover, his =HP= slowly being chipped away as fragments of concrete tore away at his armor.

A gatling gun is indeed, a fearsome weapon. It has tons of firepower, lots of ammo, high firing rate. Problem is, the user must be strong enough to carry it, mount it, and of course fire it as it has a massive recoil, add the fact that it's bullets scatter and doesn't exactly hit the itended target like 60% of the time, so the user needs to adapt to it.

And it was the same for Explosive Salvo, being a Level 1 Burst Linker, he doesn't that much aptitude required to handle such a fearsome weapon, so he suffers a great deal from weapon skill degradation. Yet still, the power of the gatling gun is without question, it's still a monster for whoever wields it.

_"Crap crap crap!"_ Kenneth shouted as he dived into the corner, tucking himself down as much as possible to evade the storm of death.

_"Whoever installed pain receptors in the game should just die! Argh, it huuuuurts!"_ He continued his protests, holding his arms as he saw the damages dealt to him, his pure white armor now stained black, while checking his =HP= bar which decreased about 1/4, and right underneath it, another gauge, a blue one, started filling up.

_"I can't just be a sitting duck here forever..."_ He muttered as Kenneth continued to duck behind the safety of the concrete while the relentless stream of bullets continued to rain down on him. _"...I need to... Get closer to him... But how?"_ He added, smashing his fists into the ground.

_**"COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE, YOU LITTLE RASCAL! MY GUN ACHES FOR YOUR DEMISE! HEEEERE KITTY KITTY KITTY! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_ The hulking avatar started walking towards him, still letting loose his gun as he shouted, taunting Kenneth. _**"IF YA 'AINT COMING OUT, I'LL BE THE ONE TO COME TO YOU! GWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_ He added, roaring into a loud laughter which echoed through the place.

_"Come on, KK, think!"_In the distant, =Uranium Scourge= bit her lip tight in nervousness.

**xxx**

A _"Dragoon"_.

Kenneth's mind ran full force, thinking of a way out of his predicament, he can't loose face here, not after he promised his nee-san.

What is a _"Dragoon"_ anyway? based on what he knows, it's a class a player can select in the old Final Fantasy games. It's a warrior most adept with the use of spears, and someone who gains additional attack power when pitted against dragon-type monsters.

But it's not much of a help now. He doesn't have a spear, and he's not up against a dragon.

Think, Kenneth, think.

What other special things can a _"Dragoon"_ do?

The loud thumping of bullets drew closer, inching it's way to chew on his pitiful avatar, hiding in fear.

Think!

Jump. Jumping. Reaching out distant opponents. Height advantage. Mobility.

Yes, that's it!

_**"Haaarrrggghhhhh!"**_ Kenneth shouted as he changed his stance from a crouch to a sprinting position, still ducking low enough to get cover, facing towards the other side of the street while bullets continue to chip away his hiding spot.

Focus.

Purple crest-like patterns emerged from under his feet, smoky mist flowing out of it like a motorbike revving up for a quick sprint.

***swooooooooooooooooooosh***

In a blink of an eye, the silvery white avatar dashed across the street, evading about 90% of the hellfire that assaulted him, Explosive Salvo's reaction time much slower as he tried to track down the sprinting Noir Eraser, his bullets all but hitting air.

_"Not yet! Moooooore!"_ Kenneth continued screaming as he sprinted, briefly pausing after turning a full 180 degrees, facing the surprised enemy avatar, the purple crest-like patterns started building up again on his feet as he prepped himself on a low winded-up position, giving himself about 0.5 seconds to accumulate enough steam, the sounds of intense revving could be heard as the bullets didn't stopped raining, hitting Kenneth every now and then, his =HP= slowly trickling down. _"Now! Riiiiiiiiiiseeeeee!"_ He roared as he used the full explosive force under his feet to jump, zooming very quickly upwards into the sky like a rock shot out from a slingshot, propelling himself to speeds closely matching machs.

_"The fuck is going on? **YOU COME DOWN HEREEEEEEEE!**"_ Explosive Salvo roared back as he got frustrated after seeing his shots almost missing, he continued to track Noir Eraser's movements whilst firing even as he sped upwards, with only about two to three shells hitting him out of a hundred or so fired. _**"DON'T MESS WITH ME!"**_ He continued to shout at the top of his lungs, his vocal chords sounding strained, prepping the gatling gun by his side, steadying himself for one final burst, crosshair aimed at =Noir Eraser=. **_"YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"_**He added as he pressed the trigger, sending red hot lead screaming across the skies, painting it red with destruction and carnage.

**xxx**

**_'Fly, zoom past the ever distant future-_**

**_'Cut open a path towards tomorrow...'_**

**_'Become the darkness that swallows light, become the envoy of the end.'_**

As he sped upwards with tremendous speeds, a voice inside him echoed, his persona being wrapped in a heavy yet rejuvenating miasma.

_**'You are not someone destined to shed light, you are destined to stain the skies black, therefore...'**_

While he continued to propel upwards, cutting through the air like hot knife through butter, he could feel a warm feeling starting to envelop him, his body starting to warm up, freckles of the white armor starting to disintegrate mid-air, slowly revealing what was hidden underneath the exterior...

Black.

Deep, jet-black dark abyss.

Bit by bit, torn apart, left right left, the glittering white armor began to crumble, seemingly corrupted from the inside out, gradually replaced by a howling black armor, still in the shape of a Dragoon, yet stained with seething darkness, symbolizing hatred, pain and suffering, anger.

_**'This is the real you-'**_

_**'This is the you which despises power, the you which hates kindness, the you which rejects all the good in the world.'**_

_"Th... This is... The real me?"_ Kenneth whispered as his vision slowly adjusted to the surroundings as he continued to speed, the clouds infront of him, the bullets not reaching him anymore. _"But, who are you?"_ He added as his speed gradually slowed down, signalling the tip of his jump.

_**'I am you, and you are me.'**_

_**'I am the 'darkness' inside you.'**_

_**'Come, let's punish those who oppose us, I will lead you to victory, and in exchange...'**_

_"In exchange?"_ He replied, almost doubting he voice. Well, who would not? It all just seemed weird to him yet, because he desired power, he was desperate to win, he was at the point that will grab anything thrown at him.

_**'Join me. Join me as we purge the weak from this world! Behold! Rise above the rest, become a true =Burst Linker=, =Noir Eraser=! The Envoy of the End!'**_

Then with an explosive bang, the glittering white armor was completely reduced to smithereens, in it's place, a jet-black carapace-like armor, a black Dragoon. The armor now has a general robotic feel to it, as the organic parts were eliminate, in it's place were dark joints and circuits, in his back, the pure white cape is now gone, replaced by dark purple like tattered cloth, and under it were verniers, the ones that looked like it came from jet planes of the past, it's glowing blue aura pulsed as it sustained his hover.

Around his =HUD=, there were several things different.

Sure, his =HP= bar was at the same level, about halfway empty, below it was the blue =Special Attack Gauge=, which is now full. He quickly manipulated the side menu to check if there were anything new, and there it was.

=Special Attack:=  
=Soul Eater=

_"S... Soul Eater?"_ Kenneth said as he felt the verniers loose strength, his altitude slowly beginning to drop. _"What does it do?"_ He added questioningly, prepping his body for the descent, his persona can now feel the rush of air pressure around him again.

_**'You will know. Now, let's go, let's crush that guy and he will be the first sacrifice for our wrath, our stepping stone to freedom!'**_

=Noir Eraser= Began his descent from the heavens, the darkness he emitted obscured even the fading sun across the horizon.

**xxx**

The spectators were all standing, gazing up towards the sky. Uranium Scourge was no exception.

_"Just... What... Did he become?"_ She silently muttered to herself as the others around her were throwing comments back and forth.

_"What? Another flying avatar? That's two in a day!"_

_"No! It's not flying! He can't keep his act up so it's must be hovering! Look, he's descending now!"_

_"Yeah, it's not flying! Look! His armor!"_

_"It became black!"_

_"Is he part of =Nega Nebulas=?"_

_Someone verify this! Call HQ right now!"_

As the roars and cries of the audience filled her ears, Uranium Scourge can't help but give a smirk at the developments, she wasn't wrong in choosing him. She knew it, she knew he was worth it, she absolutely was sure that he is different, and that he can make that difference flutter, channeling it into his strength.

His weakness, kindness. He used it as his weapon.

Kenneth was someone who is basically a _"goody two shoes"_ in real life, someone who is always smiling, kind to everyone, someone who always accepts favor, gets dragged along. Yet deep inside, he hated it, he despises it. All of those bottled feelings, he kept it inside, nurturing it as each day goes by. Now it materialized, giving birth to that jet-black avatar, that nightmare.

_"Now, KK, no, =Noir Eraser=, show me what you got!"_=Uranium Scourge= had an invisible wide grin on her face as the black nightmare continued to accelerate, rapidly descending from the heavens, just like the fallen angel of legends, Lucifer.

**xxx**

_***VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR***_

_***CLANK CLANK CLANK***_

Empty.

Smoke everywhere.

The gatling gun he was holding clicked empty, and the reserves behind his back needed a few seconds to prep up and to reload, Explosive Salvo thought as he gazed upwards, seeing the dark avatar plunging with incredible speeds towards him. He needed to act fast.

Ejecting the used-up belt link feed, it gave out a clanking sound as it bounced twice in the ground before settling. He then reached out to his back, grabbing the next belt link which was stored in the huge backpack he carried.

_***CLICK!***_

All set.

Explosive Salvo flashed a brimming wide grin as he looked up, aiming the gun directly towards the plunging =Noir Eraser=, which is now just a couple of meters above him. _**"TRANSFORMATION? HECK I HAVEN'T SEEN ONE BEFORE! SO COOOOOOOOL! BUT I'M SORRY YOU'LL HAVE TO DIE HERE! HAAAAA!"**_ He bellowed as he gripped the gun tighter, pulling the trigger as he did, sending more waves of hot lead to the black laden avatar.

Yet it was almost too late.

=Noir Eraser= did receive the full 0.5 second initial burst of gatling gun fire, sending his HP perilously low in the red zone, yet he didn't care, he continued to descend, his arms link together over his head, and as he was directly on top of Explosive Salvo, he hammered his fists down towards the top of his head, making a loud _'whack'_ sound which sent shock waves resonating throughout the battlefield.

It threw =Explosive Salvo= out of balance, and on the ground on his fours, his figure buckling down by the sheer weight of his equipment, sending his gatling gun just a few meter away from him. =Noir Eraser= didn't stopped, his fists, left and right rained down on the fallen red-colored monster, blowing his =HP= down bit by bit.

=Explosive Salvo= tried squirming his way out of the flurry, desperately trying to get to his gun, yet =Noir Eraser= caught him by the neck, then he threw him towards the opposite side of the street, sending him careening towards the building, making a huge impact as he crashed into it.

Relentlessly, =Noir Eraser= gave out a loud roar, then activated the verniers behind him, the deaft '_boom'_ produced by the output thrusted him a few centimeters off the ground, just enough to actually 'float', before rushing in towards =Explosive Salvo=, still pinned in the building, tackling him further inside the structure, all the way inside, and out on the other side, both their =HP= draining.

But =Explosive Salvo= realized that he can still win inspite of this, he was, after all, someone who had above average =STR= rating which allowed him to carry the gatling gun. So he went ahead and jettisoned the backpack he carried, freeing him from excessive weight, before grabbing =Noir Eraser= by the neck, and plunging him in his position, making him grind the ground as they continued to speed before halting to a stop by the huge intersection next block, sending his =HP= down, leaving only just a margin.

_**"YoU'rE dEaD! i wILl pULvErIZe yOu YoU pIeCE oF tRaSH!"**_ =Explosive Salvo= screamed in a deranged voice, pummeling and hammering his own fists into the motionless black avatar before him.

_"Is that all, you damn fatass?"_ =Noir Eraser= calmy said inspite being hit multiple times. _"Hahahahaha. **IS THAT ALLLLLLLLLLLLL?**"_

Then he gruntled before roaring back, his voice rang like a creature from a deep dark abyss. _"=Special Skill= activate! =Soul Eater!="_ He continued, activating his new special skill, sending shock waves of darkness around them.

A dark aura-like miasma engulfed his fists and legs, deep, black pulsating darkness.

_**'This is your hatred-'**_

_**'The hatred you've been keeping inside...'**_

_**'...Materializing to rend your foes.'**_

_"I know so you just shut up! **Gwahahahahaha** this is more like it!"_ With the cries of bloodlust, =Noir Eraser= blocked the next attack thrown into him then kicked =Explosive Salvo= away, sending him tumbling across the empty stretch of land. Getting up on his feet, he reactivated his verniers, quickly moving him towards the downed avatar, sending a flurry of punches.

Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right.

He pummeled the avatar which laid his existence bare in front of him, ruthlessly stripping his =HP= of it's content, slowly trickling down as the defenseless =Explosive Salvo= sprawled almost dead on the ground.

But what surprised him is that his HP bar, which was only a few pixels before he activated =Soul Eater=, was now back to being half full. How did it happen? Did he perhaps...

_**'The will of your hatred channels life energy back to you, healing what is lost.'**_

_"I am not asking you. Shut the fuck up."_ =Noir Eraser= harshly said, his eyes seething with hatred, his fists shaking with fury as he stood up directly above =Explosive Salvo=. _"Say your prayers, fatass."_ He continued, crackling his fists as he saw his enemy's =HP= bar hanging by a thread.

_"I.. I'm sorry! Please let me beat you! I'm only level two and I spent all my Burst Points to purchase this weapon, and if you beat me I'll loose all my remaining points as well as =Brain Burst=! Come on, you haven't spent anything right?"_ =Explosive Salvo= replied shamelessly as he went on his knees and prostrated himself in front of him. _"I'll make it up to you sometime! I swear!"_ He added, bowing, his forehead completely touching the dusty ground.

Stopping in between the crunches of his fingers, =Noir Eraser= seemed to have softened up, relaxing his stance and, in a surprising action, he turned his back towards his enemy.

With a smirk on his face and without hesitation, =Explosive Salvo= quickly stood up, attempting to grab =Noir Eraser= by the neck yet...

_***VRRRRRRRSSHHHHHHHHHHHH***_

The verniers on his back reactivated yet again, propelling the black nightmare away from =Explosive Salvo='s grubby hands, almost burning him from the exhaust.

_"Lesson number one. Always fight with conviction, and stick with it until the end."_ Then, speeding back towards him in just a matter of milliseconds, =Noir Eraser= grabbed a piece of long steel pipe lying on the ground as a make shift weapon, slamming it horizontally against =Explosive Salvo='s exposed torso, making him spurt out reddish liquids from beneath his face mask.

_"Lesson number two. Fight until the end. If you don't have arms..."_ He then stabbed Explosive Salvo's two arms in quick succession, slicing them off, the black avatar laughing maniacally while the red one screamed in agony. _"...Fight with your legs, if you don't have legs..."_ Then the nightmare swung the pipe with such force that it knocked his opponent's legs off, shattering in blue-like pixels, all the while, the monster was reduced in size, howling in pain. _"...Fight with your teeth. If you don't have teeth..."_ Afterwards, =Noir Eraser= swung the pipe over his head, twirling it several times before smashing one end of it into =Explosive Salvo='s head, effectively pulverizing what was left of him, cutting his muffled screams of pain and agony off. _"...Then fight with your spirit. If you no longer have the spirit..."_

Jumping backwards, glancing at the slowly disintegrating flesh of his opponent, =Noir Eraser= stood in dominance, with the blue pixel like aura swirling all around him.

_"...Then that is when you find your inner courage, the drive to survive, the will to live. A warrior should never bow down, even in death."_

With that said, he collapsed to one knee, amidst the roaring cheers of the crowd which were almost entranced by the fight that just unfolded in front of them, of the sheer epicness of his first duel, carving the name =Noir Eraser= into their Watch list.

The dust around him continued to swirl, it's unrelenting force swayed the red tattered cloth on his back as he continued to kneel down on his left leg, right hand pressed heavily against his forehead. _"So this is... This is Brain Burst... Nee-san... I... I..."_

A few seconds later, the same blue aura surrounded his black persona, enveloping him in a gentle glow before slowly disappearing himself.

_"...I will certainly enjoy this little 'game' you gave me."_ Could be heard as the blue dust trailed off, disappearing from sight.

-  
A/N: Hurray! Chapter 2 is up! Please forgive me if my releases are slow as hell, I can only do one chapter per week, and that still depends on my availability since work is such a hassle. But don't worry, I've got lots of conviction to see this story through, so please stay tuned for the next installment! Also, please do me some R&R, I really appreciate it, and if you have the time, you can send me your own OC's because I seriously lack them, I might need help from you guys. Thanks thanks and look forward to more Accel World!  
-


	4. Chapter 4 Virus Scan

**Chapter 3: "Virus_Scan"  
**

* * *

_"Burst Link!"_

Their surroundings flashed white briefly, before becoming engulfed in a blue aura which seemed to cover everything from the walls, the chairs, the counter, everything. It's as if time stopped, no, it really did. Or rather, it slowed down, and they sped up -a thousand fold. The people who were happily chatting around them, eating cake and drinking coffee seemed frozen in time, their expressions trapped as long as the spell holds out.

_"So this is how it works..."_ The guy with the dark coat and a hat worn tipped towards his face, obscuring it said as he paced back and forth the cafe said, checking every inch of this weird blue world. _"...So basically, the social cameras reproduce this world, and time didn't really stopped, yet in reality, we are just moving reaaaaaaallllllly fast, right, nee-san?"_ He added, stopping by their own table, glancing towards his 'body'.

_"Absolutely. You sure are a fast learner."_ Beside him was a girl in an office lady attire, complete with glasses. _"That's right, our thoughts left our body and it accelerated. If you could check one of those people who are drinking coffee, you will notice bit by bit their cup will eventually reach their mouth, and if we waited long enough, you could even see the liquid being consumed."_ She added, placing her right hand's index and middle finger up her nose bridge, fixing the red-rimmed glasses.

_"I see... But still... This... Is amazing..."_ Mesmerized by his surroundings, Kenneth, who was now on his Global Net avatar form continued to snoop around, paying no heed to the fact that this is only his second time to enter this suspended state. _"...I suppose you could do a lot of stuff by using this..."_ He continued, his voice full of malice.

_"Yes you can. You can even accelerate when you have an exam to give you a breather, you could even do it while you're playing basketball! There's a lot of stuff you can do here, but pay me heed..."_ Her expression changed from a cheerful one to a much more serious tone. _"...Those are things that you shouldn't do. Yes you can, I won't hold you back but, once you get used to it, you'll become addicted... And if ever you loose Brain Burst, you'll be left with nothing... It's something I don't want to happen to you."_ Chloe ended as she walked closer to Kenneth.

_"Yeah... If I loose all my Burst Points, then... Brain Burst will forcefully uninstall..."_ Kenneth replied, leaning against the blue pillar. _"...And I won't be able to re-install it, right?"_ He added, tilting the hat his avatar wore further down.

_"Yes, since the program has already saved the signature patterns of your brainwaves. Once you loose it, you will never be able to step into the accelerated world..."_ She explained as she stood behind her own physical body. _"So now, the main reason why... I recruited you to be a Burst Linker..."_ She continued with a posed look.

_"Ah, yeah. So you mentioned you needed someone... Someone to protect you, right, nee-san?"_ Lurking closely, Kenneth decided to just lean against the pillar beside their table, crossing his arms in front of him. _"Don't worry, with enough experience, I will protect you from any harm, just trust me!"_ He added full of conviction.

_"Excellent. I will help you get there, I will train you with all I know. And then you shall be part of the Black Legion, =Nega Nebulas=."_ Chloe continued, keeping the same posed look, her hands scrolling down a list of names which were displayed in front of her visual database provided by the program. _"In the accelerated world, there are different Legions or in layman's terms, "territories'. They are divided into six main areas; The Red Legion, =Prominence=, The Blue Legion, =Leonids=, The Green Legion, =Great Wall=, The Yellow Legion, =Crypt Cosmic Circus=, The Purple Legion, =Auroral Oval=, and lastly, The White Legion, =Oscillatory Universe=."_ She continued, pursing her lips near the end of her speech.

_"So, which one, I mean, which Legion do you belong to?"_ Kenneth asked, his voice changing in tone yet his figure remained calm and collected. _"Do they like, need more soldiers or what?"_ He added with a tone of curiosity.

_"There used to be =Seven Kings=..."_ Chloe muttered, her voice drifting off like the wind. _"While they were rivals, there was a strong bond between them..."_

_"...Eh? Seven? I thought there were only Six of them? So what happened?"_ He interrupted, thirsting for more information.

_"...Until one night, two years ago, when the Black King betrayed and attacked them..."_ As she spoke, one could feel the chilly aura behind the tragic past she was trying to relate to the young Burst Linker before her.

_"The... =Black King=...?"_ Surprised, Kenneth decided to straighten up from his position, lending an ear to what his sister was explaining.

_"Yes, the =Black King=, and that would be my master, =Black Lotus=. She, along with her =Legion=, The Black Legion, =Nega Nebulas=, decided to reject peace, and argued that all of them should fight and risk it all..."_ Her hands continued to sway, fiddling with the menus, pop-up windows and scroll bars which was within her grasp. _"...But when her plan was rejected during a meeting held by the =Pure Colored Kings=..."_ She swallowed her spit, afraid of the next few words... _"...She beheaded the adamant anti-war =Red King=, =Red Rider=, forcing the uninstallation of his Brain Burst."_

Kenneth couldn't believe what he was hearing. _"So then what happened?"_ He could feel the intensity welling inside him, it's as if he was really enjoying it. The fire inside him was lit, and is now burning intensely.

_"His girlfriend, the =Purple King= started screaming and the =Blue King= was enraged. =Black Lotus= fought them in a furious frenzy, yet she was unable to get any more of them and after the thirty minute mark ended, she =Linked Ou=t, and has been in hiding ever since then."_ Chloe could feel her lips trembling, as if she was trudging a forbidden place, something that was taboo. _"In the =Accelerated World=, she is now loathed as the biggest traitor, with a big bounty on her head."_

_"B-but... Why? Why go to those extremes? I'm sorry, but I... Just don't get the bigger picture, nee-san."_ Kenneth said apologetically.

_"It's okay, Kenneth don't worry, let me continue..."_ With a bitter smile, she pushed on. _"As I've said earlier, the =Accelerated World= is currently divided into the sections each ruled by the =Six Pure Colored Kings=, all of them attaining =Level 9= as a prerequisite of owning and ruling their own =Legions=. Think of it as being like a Guild in other MMORPGS."_

_"But wait, a game where only six people have reached the max level? Isn't that insanely hardcore?"_ Doubting, Kenneth sneered at his sister, trying to pry out as much as he can get, information is still the best weapon as his sayings go. _"So, how many people have reached Level 10?"_ He closed his argument, his body now beside his sister.

_"...I didn't said that =Level 9= was the maximum."_ Sighing, Chloe gave Kenneth an unsatisfactory shrug before she opened her lips once more. _"The =Brain Burst 2039= program was released seven years ago anonymously, and due to it's harsh rules, no one has ever reached =Level 10=. No, it doesn't have any insanely hardcore quests such as winning 10,000 fights or so but..."_ Her eyes darted left and right, unsure of how to explain it to the young Kenneth. _"You just have to win five fights... And they have to be against =Level 9= opponents. And if a =Level 9= player looses, the winner takes all of his remaining =Burst Points= and he or she is basically forced to uninstall =Brain Burst=, loosing it forever."_

_"So... What you're saying is that..."_ His brain doing it's work, Kenneth wasn't hailed a 'genius' if not for his matured way of thinking at his age. _"The reason why this game remained a secret all those years is because... The first requirement is to have a =Neuro Linker= installed at birth, so meaning, there is no adult =Burst Linker= because the =Neuro Linker= has only been around for fifteen years..."_

Amazed at the explanation his brother was saying, Chloe remained silent and listened as Kenneth continued.

_"...And because they are nothing more than children, they wanted to protect their special privilege..."_ Kenneth said, as if he was there when it happened, claiming justice to his genuine intelligence. _"...And since no evidence remains when it uninstalls, any talk of it is deemed as a child's fantasy."_

Tapping his brother's head, Chloe finished prepping the menus, and after selecting two different names from the list, she pressed the Duel button, their surroundings suddenly corroded into the dark, murky battlefield of the =Accelerated World=. _"You speak as if you are not a child. Ahahaha. Now come, we have much work to do. Your level needs to progress before I let you meet the =Black King=!"_ She shouted as the curtains of a tag-team duel opened before them, the dirty white coloring of =Uranium Scourge= was in stark contrast to his brother, =Noir Eraser=.

_"I may not understand them all but, to me, you are the most important person ever, nee-san! I will follow you anywhere and I will protect you from harm!"_ Kenneth, now known as =Noir Eraser= in the =Accelerated World= shouted as he pumped his fists upwards, his jet-black colored avatar brimming with power.

On his sister's cue, the two of them rushed forwards, kicking up dirt behind them, and with an evil smirk painted on their faces.

* * *

_"Nee-san... Kuroyukihime-sempai is..."_ Casting his head downwards, Kenneth's voice suddenly got a little bit softer than what it was earlier.

_"Eh? Kuroyukihime-san is... What?"_ Tilting her head sideways as she walked alongside Kenneth, Chloe seemed to have a grasp of what he was trying to say yet he wanted to tease him up a little bit.

_"...She is kinda... Cute..."_ Kenneth replied, his voice becoming almost in-audible, as he paced faster, going ahead of his sister. _"The way she carried herself, to her overall appearance... It was elegance, at it's finest..."_ He continued, spewing his feelings out like it was nothing.

_"Ahahaha I knew it, silly KK."_ Chloe picked up pace as well, easily catching up to him. _"Now Kenneth..."_ She then fished inside her bag, brandishing an =XSB Cable=, which she then quickly plugged into Kenneth's =Neuro Linker=, plunging their surroundings a little bit paler, both of them getting the =System Notification= that =Direct Link= will be established.

Accepting the offer with a flick of his finger, Kenneth glanced over his sister before relaying his thoughts. _"So she is the famed =Black King= huh... I... Didn't knew that such person..."_ He paused, carefully thinking about his next set of words. _"...Can become a =Burst Linker=."_

_"As I've explained before, anyone who has the aptitude to do so can, given if they meet a someone who can be their parent, which is what I am to you."_ She explained as the two of them walked closer together, now linked through the cable. _"Hoho, do you find her cute? She is, right? Hahahaha."_ She added, poking Kenneth by the sides.

Almost jumping away, Kenneth scoffed as he replied, _"Bah stop it nee-san. To fall for such girl... Unimaginable."_ Doing his best to conceal his blushing face, he glanced away. _"Anyways, as we've discussed earlier, the plan to recruit more people... How are we going to do it? I mean, you said you could only send the file over to one person and if it doesn't work, that's it. Soooo... Where and how do we get them?"_

Motioning towards the park, Chloe continued to lead him, _"Well, I know a few people who might be up to the job, so you have to meet up with them and possibly get them to install the program into their =Neuro Linkers=..."_ As they sat on the empty bench, she glanced upwards, covering her eyes, blocking the sun. _"Oh yeah before I forget, the hacking application you made, does it work all the time? Does it always keep you hidden from the list of other Burst Linkers so they won't be able to challenge you?"_

_"Yeah, it does. Even you can't challenge me to a duel hahahaha~"_ Flicking menus here and there, Kenneth double checked if the =H4X3D_APP= he programmed himself is still active, which prevents him from being challenged by other =Burst Linkers=, so he can pick fights whenever and wherever he deems fit. _"But the problem is, I can only run the application on my own system, I can't transfer it. But I'm working on it, it's a useful application that exploits a minuscule glitch in the =Brain Burst= code source."_

As she listened, Chloe became more and more amazed at his little brother. Sure, he is a few years younger than her, yet his intelligence and grasp over the Internet world and it's inner workings sure is scary, which is one of the main reasons she picked him to be her child. Kenneth, 13 years of age, hacker by nature, genius extraordinaire. Problem is... He doesn't use it that much because he is too lazy to do so and wanted only to focus in games, and more games, which their family doesn't mind as long as he keeps his school grades and stuff up, which he does, and he even surpasses their expectations.

_"So, for the meantime, we can probably take a break. It's been like a full week ever since you started fighting in the =Accelerated World=, and you've already attained Level 3 in such a short time, earning yourself a hefty bounty of points to get that "spear" as well as a =Passive Skill= which is really handy."_ She calmly stated, her gaze averted to the young boy who sat beside her, patting his shoulders as consolation to his efforts. _"With the help of the application you programmed, you should be able to get a lot of rest without being haunted by the fact that you can be challenged anytime. So in the meantime, I guess I should start coordinating with Kuroyukihime-san to gather more troops..."_

Brazenly showing a happy smile, Kenneth looked up to his sister, _"Thanks nee-san. I will take you up on the offer then. I'll be lying low for the meantime."_ Then his expression became a little bit awry, which clearly reflected on his eyes. _"Nee-san, you take care, okay? And if ever you need help just call me, promise me..."_

Chloe then stood up, holding up her left hand's pinky, _"Yes, I promise, my little black knight hoho~"_

Kenneth did the same and as their fingers formed a link, his heart felt warm and contented.

* * *

_"So, are the reports a hundred percent accurate?"_ Said the avatar who's color was hard to discern because of the surrounding darkness that enveloped the place.

_"Yes, sire. we have confirmed the target's name and location, and we are awaiting your orders for infiltration."_ The avatar who was standing in rigid attention in front of the huge throne replied, his voice full of confidence.

_"Good. Excellent. Have you gathered enough intelligence about the target's Duel Avatar performance?"_ The avatar sitting in the throne continued, his chin resting on his right hand's knuckle in an obviously bored expression.

_"The target's activities these past week have quadrupled so we were able to gather as much info as we need sire. More than enough to keep her in check."_

_"Perfect. Then there's nothing else to wait for. Commence your infiltration as soon as possible, and keep yourselves down."_ He commanded, his hands darting out in front of him as the avatar who was standing in front of him threw a quick salute before vacating the place.

The place permitted a low intensity of light to pass through the narrow window-like openings on the wall, and right now, it shone a gentle beam which illuminated the premises.

Yellow.

There were lots of it.

_"Hahahahahahahahahahaha. The Black Legion, eh... I never even thought it even existed nowadays. Hahahahahaha what a joke."_ The figure who was in the throne was now standing up, his figure haunched as he walked, radiant light started to partially reveal his true nature. _"The world ill needs another "King". Hahahahahahahahaha!"_ He continued, the light reflecting off the yellowish clown mask that covered the premises of his avatar's face.

_"And in due time, this world... Will be mine! Mine alone! Hahahahahahah!"_ His laughter filled the huge room, maniacal musings permeating the air. _"The Carnival shall now commence! GwaHaHAhAhAhHAhAHHAhAhHAHA!"_

* * *

"...Re, Reality... destroyed...?"

Arita Haruyuki repeated in blank amazement. He no longer saw the students around the tables full of curiosity or hear their noisy comments. Only Kuroyukihime s words repeated in his mind.

The black clad upperclassman looked at Haruyuki with another smile, and raising her right hand, her supple white fingers made something slide.

*blip blip*

A black swallow tail butterfly fluttered accross the table, then perched atop Haruyuki's finger.

**[EXECUTE ? YES/NO]** A holo dialogue appeared.

This should be a familiar system display, but he thought this window seemed to have its own intention that forced him to make a decision.

With common sense, executing an unknown application sent by a stranger over Direct Link would be indiscretion. He should pull out the cable right now. However, Haruyuki for some reason could not do that. In exchange, he looked down at his body squeezed into the chair.

_- Reality. My reality._

Stolid body. Lackluster appearance. Repeatedly being bullied and escaping to the net. And more than anything, the self that did not change this situation. Being like this is fine, since nothing will change, this self that gave up.

Haruyuki moved his view, and looked into Kuroyukihime s dark eyes.

Half a second later, he raised his right hand, and thrusted his finger into the YES button. Her white face held a slightly surprised expression, and slightly satisfied, he relaxed his chest.

"That s my wish. This reality... I wish for it's destruction."

* * *

On the virtual black board s upper right hand corner, a yellow message mark Kenneth who was almost spacing out during class because of the boredom he felt mainly due to the fact that he already knows majority of the stuff his teacher was blabbering about, he involuntarily shrunk his head and moved his eye's focus.

At that moment, that deep green blackboard that was fully in his view became half transparent, the backs of students sitting in rows, and the teacher beyond them, their shape became sharp.

The classroom, his classmates, and his teacher existed in the real world, but the transparent blackboard and the closely packed math formula on it was not so. The numbers and formula that the teacher was writing in mid air was sent to the =Neuro Linker= worn on the back of his neck and directly into his brain as a picture.

The elder math teacher, in a difficult way, moved his finger that held nothing on the blackboard that only he can see and continued to explain the formula in a subdued tone of voice. That voice too, was not at a volume that can reach Kenneth s ears in the real world, the teacher's =Neuro Linker= worn around his neck increased the volume and clarity, then sent it directly to his brain.

When he focused nearer again, the blackboard with more math formula than before again became solid. So it seems that the mail he received wasn't the teacher sending out compressed homework file. That means, when he was currently separated from the the =Global Net=, the sender must be a student at the same school.

Some girl who broke the school rules and sent him a good message, that kind of expectation, he threw away long ago in the half year after entering middle school. He deeply thought of just dropping the mail into the garbage box in the lower left corner of his view, but if he did that, what will happen to him afterwards he won t know.

A few seconds later, the beeping sounds of the Voice Mail he received started playing. Great, an auto play message, he thought.

_"At the rooftop. Lunch break. I'll be waiting. I. Know. Your. Secret."_

As the ending beep played, Kenneth's throat suddenly ran dry, his temples started to well sweat. Whoever sent this message is not someone whom he should take lightly, his gut feeling tells him so. His mind scrambled for answers yet, however hard he prodded, he came up with nothing. A compromise? Maybe. But the hacking software =H4X3D_APP= he developed specifically to hide his own identity from the =Brain Burst= duel lobby should have been flawless, glitchless, secure, yet how could it be that he was found out?

There was only one answer.

To find it out himself.

* * *

The bell rang, the lessons ended and the clatters of the students pacing back and forth started to fill the classroom and the halls with noise. In the middle of the commotion, Kenneth still sat down his seat, hands linked together in front of him, his chin resting on the upper part of his palms, his eyes closed.

Think, Kenneth.

What could possibly go wrong? Defeat? Not happening, he has a stockpile of points, he shouldn't be afraid now that he's Level 3, since as what his nee-san told him, amongst the one thousand plus Burst Linkers, not even half of it reached Level 5 yet besides, if a higher leveled player challenges him and should he loose, lesser points will be deducted, system balancing so bullying will not occur.

Yet his heart raced, he's not sure why.

_"Bah, let's just do this."_ He said to himself as he stood up and made his way outside the classroom, cautiously walking away from the windows of the hall.

A few minutes later, he arrived at the stairwell which lead to the rooftops.

Pausing, he drew a deep breath before ascending.

It is not something he need to tell his sister, not after training him as hard and as effectively as she can, not after spending countless hours making sure his program works, and certainly not after he promised to protect his sister. No. He could not just loose face. He could not just back down.

The metallic doorknob was cold, he felt so as he touched it, and after briefly closing his eyes, he thought that whoever or whatever awaited him behind this door, no matter how strong it was, even if it was a Level 9 or not even a Pure Colored King, he won't loose face and that he would still fight...

Click.

The warm noontime sun bathed him, his vision blinded for a few seconds before it flowed back into him. The gentle wind blew across the stretch of empty ground as the clouds floated hazily over him.

No, he was wrong. It wasn't empty.

On one of the benches that line the perimeter fence of the area, there sat a girl.

Her gentle frame stood up, her long white hair which was tied in a ponytail behind her fluttered as she walked across the field. The purple framed glasses she wore over her amber colored eyes has got to be one or two sizes big for her as she adjusted it every now and then. She stopped in front of Kenneth, who was still rooted just a few meters away from the door.

_"First of all, please shut the door behind you."_ The mysterious girl said, her voice carrying a commanding tone.

Kenneth didn't took his eyes off her as he pushed the door closed with a soft thud, his gaze surveying her from head to toe, focusing on her lips to make sure he can counter Burst Link of ever she decides to do so.

_"Good. Thank you. Shall we have a seat? It's no fun talking whilst standing up."_ She continued, walking away from him without a moment's notice, back to where she was sitting just a while ago.

He followed suit, walking all the way up to the green bench by the fences, but he didn't sat down and he simply stood in front of her. _"Who are you, and what do you know? Or rather, make that, how much do you know?"_ He asked, keeping his calm composure.

_"Ara ara. Going directly to business huh..."_ She replied, fixing her glasses yet again, looking up Kenneth which was by now, covering the sun.

He could say, he was scared. But he didn't let it show. He just stood there, keeping his usual expression up, but deep inside, he was scared. He has heard of it, =Reality Intrusion=. Or the act of someone knowing a =Burst Linker='s real identity and uses it against him or her. In-game, it was considered a taboo to let your opponents know where you are from in the real world, and of course, find out who you really are.

_"Well then, good day to you Kenneth Kirihara-Kusanagi. Or should I say, =Noir Eraser=?"_

Upon hearing the name =Noir Eraser=, Kenneth's head began to throb, his thoughts pulled back into reality. This girl knows he is a Burst Linker, and she is right in front of him. There wasn't enough time to call for help. No, you could say it was his pride that prevented him.

Whoever this girl was, she just stepped on a tripwire she shouldn't have even seen.

Their lips moved together in unison, their senses starting to move faster...

=Burst...=

=Burst...=

Chanting a command which was not supposed to be seen by anyone except themselves.

=Link!=

=Link!=

* * *

A/N: Heya! We have a fast update here, well because it was just a lot of explaining and general stuff so yeah, I hope you didn't get bored. So anyways, I've thrown a short part indicating 'where' and 'what' the main characters from the canon timeline are doing, so you guys don't get lost in my projected timeline. So much for that, we'll be getting more action in the next installment. Though I haven't gotten any reviews just _yet_, I again would like to thank each and every visitor that stumbles upon this little work of mine, seriously, I can't thank you well enough, you guys rock and you guys will always be my fuel. This looks like a pretty long A/N so I'll leave it as is, don't forget to drop a review if you've got anything to say, it's open for any comments, suggestions and even violent reactions! See yah guys around!


	5. Chapter 5 Execute

**Chapter 4: "Execute"  
**

* * *

His mind still carried a lot of questions as the world around him degraded into the wasteland it is now. As his consciousness got sucked into the dark wormhole of time, Kenneth still had a few shreds of doubt in his heart, a certain tugging feeling he thought.

Slowly opening his eyes, his vision registered the HP bars on either side of the top portion of his field, with the usual =Noir Eraser= under the one on the left, and the name "=Mercuric Void=" on the other. Wait, =Mercuric Void=... It is a name he wasn't familiar with. Was it a new =Burst Linker=? He doubted so. He did a thorough scan on the school itself, and he did make sure that no other Burst Linkers were registered on the School Network other than him, his sister =Uranium Scourge=, the =Black King Black Lotus=, and her child, =Silver Crow=. But where, where did the name =Mercuric Void= came from?

There wasn't any other way but to ask by letting their blades do the talking.

Kenneth stretched out his arms, his avatar responding in sync with his movement. The mechanical arms of his =Duel Avatar= produced minuscule twitching sounds as the inner workings of it probably went into action. He then silently muttered the name of his spear, "Schwarzer Flugeln", which directly translate into "Black Wings", it appearing in an instant, letting his right hand grip it tightly after spinning the black spear around, kicking up dust around him.

_"I will ask again. Who are you and how much do you know?"_ Kenneth asked as he went into his battle stance, left leg forward, right arm at the back, clutching his spear, while his left arm was stretched in front of him, gauging his opponent's moves.

_"Shouldn't it be, 'how did I come to know'?"_ The avatar in front of Kenneth replied, the silvery feel of her armor runs throughout the avatar, a reddish glow shining in the strange marking which probably was the slit for the eyes on her face armor. _"...But nevertheless, I am Miyamori Torai, 14, Class 2-C, Level 3 Brain Burst player. It is nice to finally meet you, Kenneth Kirihara-Kusanagi, a.k.a =Noir Eraser=."_ She added, letting her avatar do a whimsical bow to show courtesy.

_"My avatar is hidden from the Network, you shouldn't have been able to even see me on the =Burst Linker= list..."_ Kenneth carried on, his stance unfaltering. _"...How did you manage to do so and how did you knew it was me?"_ He added while still contemplating the series of events that unfolded in front of him deep inside his mind.

The silvery strands of 'hair' that crowned her avatar fluttered behind her as she spun around, generating a mass of mercury which she held in her right hand. _"I can say... You do have a penchant for programming that application. It is really good..."_ The silver avatar continued. _"But against me, it is mere child's play. Don't forget, I am your senior, Kenneth!"_ The gathered mass of mercury in her hands now spiked uncontrollably, the liquid solidifying and turning back into liquid and back to solid again much to Kenneth's amazement, then after a few seconds, the one called =Mercuric Void= clasped her silvery hands together, sandwiching the liquid before expanding it, the mercury turning into a solid, sword-like form. _"Oh yeah before I forget, my duel avatar is known as "Mercuric Void" and my specialty is well, you guessed it, control over mercury. Now, let us see how much you've learned from your sister!"_

=Mercuric Void= then dashed forward, leaving a trail of bubbling silvery traces of mercury on the ground, her sword arched low.

=Noir Eraser= stood his ground, his gaze piercing towards his unknown enemy, his spear at the ready.

_"Don't take me for granted."_ Kenneth replied with a smirk on his face as he activated his Passive Skill. _"=Passive Skill=! =Blackest Sanctum=!"_ Darkness started to envelop his armor, circumventing swirls of blackish miasma flowed out from the crevices, then it fanned and spread out like water, engulfing the area around him with a dark aura.

Caught in the flow, =Mercuric Void= wasn't able to fully asses the situation as this is her first time to see this kind of phenomena. She got caught in the middle of the radius of darkness, her silvery armor beginning to be stained black. _"...What? Just what is this? What sorcery is this?"_ She snarled as her advance got halted, her speed dwindled in an instant.

_"Hahahahahaha. Just as I thought..."_ With a resounding laugh, Kenneth relaxed a little bit, lowered his spear, tip pointing downwards, and began to walk over to where the silver avatar lies rooted. _"...As expected, you only have the data until my last fight. You are still too predictable, sempai."_ His spear started to slowly gyrate, his right hand playing with it skillfully. _"This is my =Passive Skill=, =Blackest Sanctum=. A heavy aura surrounds a ten-meter radius with me as the middle point, and whoever walks into it shall have their speed degraded by thirty percent and their attack and defense ratings by twenty percent. It is the ultimate counter against melee opponents."_

=Mercuric Void's= resistance faded, her strength leaving her hanging in the balance as she was trapped helplessly into the pit of malice. _"You... Really thought about this thoroughly... As expected from a member of =Nega Nebulas=..."_ She glaringly said as she was forced down into one knee.

As the dark temperament continued to rage, =Noir Eraser= arrived near Mercuric Void, kicking her side a couple of times, making her succumb to the darkness, falling over on all fours, struggling to even kneel.

_"Well, it has been short but I appreciate your challenge, sempai. Rest assured that your defeat by my hands will not be in vain."_ Kenneth exclaimed, his avatar standing tall before her as she finally let the sinking feeling take over, making her lie down on her back, facing the jet black nightmare. _"I'm sorry but it is time to die."_ He added, with spear held above his head, tip pointing towards =Mercuric Void's= neck.

In an instant, =Noir Eraser= sent it careening down, with precise aiming, his spear thundered down like a black lightning, seemingly roaring as it pierced the air.

_"Don't worry, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve too."_ Her steely gaze from underneath the protective barrier of her face mask almost hit Kenneth like a bullet. "=_Special Skill=! =Liquefy=!"_ On her command and just mere inches from being pierced, =Mercuric Void's= body melted and it spread like water on the floor, the entire mass of her body dissolving in a moment's notice and it seeped through the small crevices of the cracked ground, completely vanishing from the area.

=Noir Eraser's= spear made a loud 'clang' sound as it hit nothing but the hard tarmac, surprised himself that he wasn't able to even think logically for a split second, just watching as the silvery liquid trickled out of sight.

_"Wh-what? is that even possible?"_ Kenneth angstily blurted, his head twitching left and right, trying to figure out where his assailant will pop out. _"Stop playing around and fight you cowardly bastard!"_ Spear at hand, he stood in the middle of his self-sustained bounded field, darkness swirling everywhere around him.

_"Hoho~ Coward? Please check yourself Mr. Noir Eraser, I am not the one who hid from the Burst Linker list."_ Her voice resonated around the area yet =Noir Eraser= can't seem to figure out where it came from, as if it came from the depths of the abyss itself. _"Sure, I wasn't there at the list too, but it was due to some special circumstances... I don't connect to the =School Network= myself."_ The voice added, still unclear where it was coming.

It was the first time that Kenneth felt fear. Fear of loosing. Fear of getting his pride blown. And fear of the unknown. His body clearly doesn't know this sensation, as he never lost inside this game, heck, he wasn't even sure what will happen if he does in the first place. His heart began to waver for a second, and at that time, there was only one image that came up.

_"KK don't give up!"_

Thump.

He contemplated on himself, composing his composure, his avatar stood silently, both hands crossed in front of his chest, clutching the spear on his right while his left closed tightly. His feet spread apart and his head tilted downwards while the searing flames of darkness continued to rage around him, partially obscuring his avatar if viewed from the distance.

Think, Kenneth.

Where could she possibly appear?

Focus.

He could picture himself in the real life, his brow probably was furrowed, sweat dripping from his forehead, drenching his forelocks which hang down and partially covers his right eye.

What's the biggest weakness of his skill that can be easily exploited?

The art of thinking that uses the concept of 'flipping the chessboard', or basically, thinking what his opponent might do in their place, substituting the basic way of thinking ahead by moving one step forwards and putting the thinking cap of your enemy on yourself, it is a proven tactic which he has used multiple times with a good ratio of success.

Concentrate.

Take action.

=Noir Eraser= then eased out of his pose, assuming a pose with his feet wide apart, left arm aimed forwards like some sort of crosshair, right one gripping his spear hard, arched backwards, winding up extraneous force, his head craned towards a distant place, a somewhat discreet place which might just...

_"Now!"_

Snapping out of his trance-like state, =Noir Eraser= weaved right then weaved left and ducked in one fluid motion, avoiding the hail of silver bullet who zipped past his ears, making that weird ringing sound in his senses before it made a loud 'thump' sound, signaling the end of it's flight.

_"I see. So it all makes sense of course..."_ He then took off, sprinting haphazardly across the vast expanse of the desolated top of the tower-like building he was on, doing his best to avoid the hail of incoming projectiles, barely grazing past a few of them, his =HP= suffering minor damage. _"...the most logical way to escape a bounded field is to move out of it, right? =Mercuric Void=!"_ With a shrill yet rough outburst, Kenneth quickly eliminated the distance between the two of them, as he figured out that Mercuric Void would most likely stay away from him in order for her not to be affected by his bounded field.

Sensing the decreasing amount of distance from her opponent, =Mercuric Void= then planted her hands on to the ground, transplanting a hollow mass of mercury on it, leaving a blob of substance which quickly camouflaged itself with it's immediate surroundings, before she herself shifted into her liquid mercury form, rapidly moving away from her previous zone, bouncing towards a new building's rooftop.

He was constantly moving, closing the gap between them to engage her in melee combat, because he knows he can't win against a ranged fight. But one thing bothers him, why, in the world does she have a 'gun'? Earlier, she had a 'sword' like weapon, then now it was a 'gun', it made him loose all the benefits of his early calculations of activating his bounded field in order to subdue her in melee combat, only to find out that she can somehow 'switch' weapons.

Which, leaves him no choice but to extinguish the angered black flames that was around him, negating his =Passive Skill= as he sped full throttle towards the jumping mass of Mercury.

'So he deactivated it, huh? Wrong move, boy.' Was what she thought as she landed on top of a water tank, securing that place before letting more mercury to flow on her hands, forming yet another bubbling mass of silver liquid. She then made a 'praying' motion with her hands, trapping the fizzing matter in between, which by then took on the shape of a slender and hollow tube-like object, which she slung over her shoulders, aiming at the rapidly closing jet-black monstrosity.

Thinking that he can't keep up because of the delay he had at the beginning of this wild goose chase, =Noir Eraser=, perched on top of a radio tower-like structure braced himself as he prepared to use his thrusters on his back to catch up, and a second later, he was zooming with about two or perhaps three times his normal speed, gritting his teeth against his lips which may have began bleeding.

***SHRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!***

A loud, whistling sound accompanied by a trail of smoky exhaust was what met him.

***BOOOOOOOOM!***

***KRATHOOOOOOM!***

***CRASH!***

He met the rocket head-on, as he wasn't still that used to moving around using the short thruster bursts his sister taught him, and he just can't evade and gain more speed and shrink distance while he was concentrating on keeping his act up. And as he tried to recover by holding on to the next building's ledge, it also blew up, possibly using timed explosive charges set onto it earlier, he thought as his vision flashed white before being regained, with the cloudless gray colored backdrop of the battlefield as the only thing he was seeing.

_"Aaarrrrrrghhhhhhh!"_ Shot out of the skies, the black nightmare quickly lost altitude and was sent spiraling down towards the tarmac at ground level, making a huge crater out of his fall, scattering debris all over, his =HP= bar going down past the mid point.

Wasting no time, =Mercuric Void= descended down on to the edge of the crater as well, her eyes scanning the scene, quickly making use of surveillance vision to try and track down where her opponent was. Seeing that there wasn't any movements, she again conjured up her mercury, which she then split into half, equal amounts held in both hands, changing them into two saber like objects before rushing in towards her downed opponent.

Pushing away the blocks of concrete which fell on top of him, =Noir Eraser= quickly checked his =HP= bar, surprised at what happened and a little shaken by the direct hit he took. 'Kuh, that surprised me... So she really can change her weapon at will...' he thought as he reached for his spear which was sprawled a couple of steps from him. As he did, in the corner of his vision, he saw his silvery opponent quickly shortening the distance between them, dual swords in hand. 'This is going to be interesting', He said as he re-activated his thrusters to propel himself as well, leaving a trail of darkened stardust as he did.

The two differently colored =Burst Linkers= met, their blades embroiled in a brutal clash, bright yellow sparks showered around them as they engage in melee combat.

_"Not bad, not bad, sempai!"_ Glared Kenneth as he deflected a dual sword downwards strike, the length of his spear helping him to do so, then he utilized the momentum to send his opponent backing away. _"But this should be my forte!"_ He added as he performed a quick lunge step forwards, his spear making multiple stabbing actions as he did.

_"Heh~ This is nothing, I am proficient in both melee and ranged combat so..."_ =Mercuric Void= replied as she parried all the thrusts made by =Noir Eraser's= spear in brazen fashion, before jumping high, her hands glided mid-air which changed her weapon yet again, this time she had a pistol like object in place of the swords, and as she was still in the momentum of her jump, she began firing, raining bullets down towards the black avatar.

Predicting her actions, Kenneth did not evade this time, instead he spun his spear above his head, deflecting the bullets and scattering them around, making crackling sounds as they thumped on the ground. _"I'm starting to like you, sempai... Lovely! Just lovely!"_ After he heard the magazines of =Mercuric Void= click empty, he activated his thrusters, sending him skyward, just a little bit above his opponent, swinging his spear at her which were met by the twin swords yet again, Kenneth surprised at the speed of her transition. _"But this nothing but child's play! =Activate=! =Hundred Spears=!"_ As he shouted, his thrusts intensified, the barrage of hits were too much for her, with the last one being a downwards swing, which she tried parrying using both swords, crossed above her head, but the initial momentum of Kenneth's jump made it more powerful.

The silvery avatar was sent flying downwards, back into the ground, making the earlier crater a little bit wider and deeper.

_"I'm not through!"_ Still mid-air, Kenneth shouted, his spear pointing downwards, directly at her. _"=Activate=! =Heart Under Blade=!"_ The tip of his spear began shining black, the cursed blade became engulfed in black flames, with his thrusters only allowing him brief bursts of movements, his altitude stopped it's incline, but he positioned himself in a downwards pose, re-activating the boosters, this time in full output, the exhaust exploded behind him, giving the image of a pair of black wings, which trailed him, giving him an impression of a winged warrior.

Recovering from her fall, =Mercuric Void= barely noticed her =HP= bar which by now, suffered quite an extensive amount of damage, concluding that his attacks were really deadly, given if they hit. A few seconds later, she glanced up, seeing =Noir Eraser=, plummeting towards her, spear tip at the ready. _"You really are powerful, I can clearly say that. That's why I've decided to follow you..."_ her hands once again met together, then stretched outwards, expanding the mercury in the process, before turning it into a massive shield which she held using both hands, bracing herself for impact.

_"USELESS!"_ Roared Kenneth as his spear collided against the silver shield, spending a few milliseconds hanging in mid-air before loosing the power granted by his thrusters, which by then, the silver shield shattered, scattering burning mercury pieces around the surprised Mercuric Void. Kenneth continued his descent, stabbing the silvery avatar directly into he left part of her chest, impaling her through and through. _"=Heart Under Blade= is a skill named after a certain lady vampire who's will can corrupt any object in comes into contact with!"_ He continued as his feet touched ground, and with that exchange of inertia, he lifted his spear along with the impaled =Mercuric Void=, her body sliding painfully downwards, spewing mercuric like substance from under her faceplate.

_"N-Not so fast!"_ =Mercuric Void= softly replied, before turning into her liquid form in order to escape the impalement, landing a couple of meters away from =Noir Eraser=. _"=Doppelganger=!"_ After shouting, the liquid scattered around the field which were scraps from the shield her opponent smashed earlier began to bubble, then after a couple of seconds, expanded in size, who then took her own form, giving her multiple copies of herself, surrounding Kenneth.

Brandishing a big, sadistic smile, Kenneth posed ready, his spear still in hand. _"That's it? Your final move? How pitiful sempai..."_ He then proceeded to activate his thrusters yet again. _"=Phantom Lancer=!"_ As he glided around in ultra high speed, =Noir Eraser= also created copies of himself. _"I really don't like picking blooming flowers, but you are different... You are not someone who is blooming... You are already in full bloom! Sempai! Prepare thyself!"_ He sped towards what he think was the original one, while his copies exchanged blows with the other copies, the scene quickly escalating into a small skirmish between light and dark forces.

_"You are quite good yourself, Kenneth. You haven't failed my expectations... But still..."_ She met the strike using her own hair, the strands becoming razor sharp in an instant, wrapping the spear, entwining it to negate the strike, while the other strands began to assault it's wielder.

Still holding onto his spear with his right hand which were both immobile themselves, Kenneth continued to lunged at her, his left hand forming a fist which he sent flying towards =Mercuric Void=. The strands of razor sharp 'hair' continued to pierce his armor, which started to degrade, shattering part by part. In simpler terms, they traded blow for blow, their =HP bars= continued to trickle down.

_"But I still hold my trump card!"_ As they were both locked in that position, Kenneth then re-activated his =Passive Skill=, =Blackest Sanctum=, forcing the tight grip of the strands of 'hair' to loosen up. _"Now behold! The final strike!"_ Sensing the end is near, he spun his spear behind him, before making a sweep towards the avatar in front of him which was suffering from movement speed degradation.

Smirking during the impact, the silvery avatar disintegrated as she was hit by the spear, making it look like water being hit by a stick, the remaining drops of mercury splashing around, seeping into the crevices of the ground yet again, disappearing from sight, her copies vanishing as well, as the copies of =Noir Eraser= also vanished as it's already time up for them.

_"Escaping again? have you no shame?"_ This time, Kenneth saw through the trick, and glanced at the distance, where the outline of Mercuric Void appeared after the dust of the conflict died down, setting the stage for the final confrontation, as both competitors were down on their last legs of =HP=. _"Never mind, this will be the final clash! Are you ready?"_ He shouted, his voice full of excitement instead of anger, as he finally found someone decent to fight.

_"Whenever you are!"_ Replied the smiling Mercuric Void, her mercury shining more brightly than before. _"This is my one true weapon, "Silverlock"!"_ She added as the mercury took the form of a bow, with the extenders shaped like angel wings, which she then fully drew, a spiral shaped arrow in it's stead. _"No, maybe I should be the one to ask if you're prepared!"_ She added, her string extended far back and her body in a perfect archery pose.

Gritting his teeth and not wasting another second, Kenneth took off, blasting himself off the ground, his thrusters on full blow, exhaling an after burn that looks like huge six part black wings on his back, he sped straight towards Mercuric Void.

_"=EX Attack=! =Eternal Break=!"_ She shouted as she let go of the arrow, it quickly accelerated, glowing bright silver as it sped to meet the charging black avatar, leaving a trail of silvery dust along it's path. _"Howl! the spiral arrow of eternal demise! This is my =EX Attack=, my one hit kill skill =Eternal Break=!"_ =Mercuric Void= added as she collapsed and knelt onto one leg, exhausted, and assured that victory would be hers.

Seeing the bright silver streak of flash, =Noir Eraser= didn't had enough time to evade, leaned his body a little bit towards his left in reaction, his vision flooded with an intense bright light as the arrow hit him on the left side, his shoulder, arm, upper torso disintegrating into nothingness from the impact, his =HP= drained really fast. But at the same time, he threw his spear as he shouted _"=EX Attack=! =Soul Eater=! Embue this cursed black spear with the power to devour souls! =Activate=! =Splintered Wings=! Split and take form, 'Schwarzer Fulgeln'!"_ Wherein his spear become a flame-like jet black malice, which then split into a chained form, greatly increasing it's reach by eight fold.

She clearly saw it, her arrow flawlessly hitting =Noir Eraser=, and she was a hundred percent sure she have won yet...

The howling black chained spear spun around her, her body gripped by the flaming projectile, constricted, she wasn't able to react quickly because she was exhausted. The aura around the black thing started to pulsate, and her =HP= started draining...

Until it was just a pixel from being empty.

At the same time, the jet-black avatar landed in front of her, half of his body blown away, yet the tatters of his armor started to regain the shape it previously had, regenerating if she were to put it into words.

Collapsing under the weight of the spear which was still around her, Mercuric Void was sprawled on the ground. _"H-how... How d-did you managed to live from my one hit skill? How?"_ She asked vehemently, her gaze aimed towards =Noir Eraser=.

_"Simple."_ Kenneth replied, his tone gentle yet still hostile. _"My =EX Attack=, =Soul Eater= has the power to eat your =HP= and transfer it towards me."_ He then released the grip of his spear on his stricken opponent, and retracted the blade to re-form the long spear. _"Now, this really is the end, sempai."_

Again, the black spear was raised up above his head, spun a couple of times before impaling the silver mess on the ground, this time, shattering her lightly armored body, turning her silver colored entity in blue pixel-like dust before completely disappearing.

The lone jet-black warrior stood in the middle of the desolated and scarred killing zone, his body also in a mess, his spear stuck in the ground, his head craned upwards, gazing at the sunless horizon.

The distant watching crowd could hear insane laughter from him, as his body continued to regenerate. They were all stricken with fear.

_**'Fear me.'**_

_**'HaHaHAhAhAHHAhAh. HAhAhAHHAhAhHAhAHAh!'**_

With the loud and hysterical laughter, his avatar started to flash blue, before slowly turning into blue dust as well.

_"And now, it is time to deal with this in real life."_ Kenneth silently whispered to himself as he logged out.

* * *

A/N: Hey there! Haaahh.. Finally done with this chapter, there;s just too much action going on that I constantly lost track of what's happening while I was writing this, specially when I needed to take a break. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and please do look forward to the next chapter. Special mentioning "October Autumn", thanks for the positive review, and for being the first one to do so! Hooray! We finally got a review, and I'm still looking forward for more, whether positive or negative, feel free to drop them, I will most definitely appreciate them. Till the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6 Forced Shutdown

**Chapter 5: "Forced_Shutdown"**

* * *

Tears.

Those were the first things Kenneth saw as he pushed down the girl in front of him, making her fall down a little bit farther than him, landing on her behind. Earlier, the girl's long white hair was tied in a ponytail on her back, but now it was a mess, with the silvery strands scattered around her as she kept her head casted downwards, hiding in her face, her purple rimmed glasses slowly slid downwards as well.

He began walking slowly towards the fallen girl, cracking his knuckles as he did. _"Now, you will speak."_ Kenneth said in a cold, low voice as he stood above the girl.

The girl looked up, her eyes reddish from the tears. _"Very well..."_ She started to pick up the mess of herself, gathering her hair in a bundle and tying them again as she dusted herself. _"Let me do the introductions again..."_ She then faced him, with eyes affixed. _"Miyamori Torai, 14, Class 2-C, Level 3, Burst Linker. Pleased to meet you, and please don't get me wrong, I am not here to do malice, I am simply piqued about your existence..."_ She added, skipping towards the green bench.

_"Huh? 'Piqued' about my... Existence?"_ Kenneth just stood rooted to where he was, his head slowly swaying to follow the girl around as she sat down the bench. _"What do you mean?"_ He asked, puzzled.

_"It is as it is. I simply wanted to find out who you are exactly. It's not that I mean any harm in real life, so please, pushing a girl down is just so, so wrong..."_ The girl said, pushing her glasses upwards, a gentle smile painted on her face as her hair fluttered against the breeze.

Stunned at her declaration and how he lost his temper, Kenneth contemplated on his earlier action. Yeah, she was right, hurting a girl is a big no no, in real life that is... But earlier he was simply blinded by rage, it's as if the lines of the virtual and the real world were somehow blurred in that moment, him forgetting that at that point in time, he was moving in the flesh.

Fixing the collars of his uniform to make it a bit more lax, Kenneth relaxed as well, breathing a deep sigh. _"Yea, you're right. I'm sorry, it... Somehow... Got all blurry in my head for a little bit."_ He replied, glancing away like an embarrassed in-love boy.

_"Don't worry about it. It's fine, I had a good fight, and that's all that matters to me."_ She added, stretching her arms out in front of her. _"Also, your program is something that's not really supposed to be written by someone your age, and it's also part of my curiosity."_

_"I see. Well, I made it for the -Black Legion-, -Nega Nebulas-, to help hide our -Legion Master-, -Black Lotus-."_ Kenneth answered as he walked towards the roof top's fence, grasping the cold steel before glancing towards the quadrangle below. _"Which reminds me, are you... Part of -Nega Nebulas-?"_

_"Just call me 'Miya'..."_ The girl who just addressed herself as Miya said as she stood up, walking up to where Kenneth was.

_"Well I..."_ Grasping the fence as well, her words trailed off, her eyes became a little bit sad looking as she continued. _"I was exiled from -Nega Nebulas-."_

Surprised, Kenneth gulped as he threw a look at Miya, who seemed as if she was thinking deeply. _"Exiled... You mean, you got expelled from Kuroyukihime-sempai's -Legion-?"_ He asked, his voice full of curiosity.

His thoughts ran rampant, a lot of things coursed through, reasons. Why would someone expel a -Burst Linker- of this quality? It's not as if she was weak or anything, in fact, she was above average, someone who's more than decent, heck, she even saw through his -H4X3D- Application, so she must be someone who could be of good use to him and the legion, so why?

_"I was... I... Didn't agreed to what the -Legion Master- thought of before, I... Liked peace... Call me scared or whatever, but I want to keep -Brain Burst- installed into my -Neuro Linker- for as long as possible I... Am in contrast to her views, as she wanted the game to end..."_ Miya said, her voice, carried by the fleeting wind rang a deep meaning to Kenneth's ears.

He couldn't believe what he just heard.

So there really are people who desired to just keep the stalemate, the equilibrium, the balance. People who just want to stay stagnant and to just keep spending everyday in that same world, not moving forwards. At first he thought it was rather crazy, to think of something that will prevent someone, or rather, anyone from ending the game, after all, what is a game without ending?

_"Someday, we will all pay the proper price for this gift to us, the privilege to accelerate. Or maybe, we are already paying for it."_

The words his own -Legion Master-, -Black Lotus-, Kuroyukihime-sempai said rang a bell in his head.

_"But why? Don't you have the desire to see this through the end? Don't you want to be the one who ends it all? Do you not seek the secrets of everything behind this amazing technology?"_ He had a lot of questions, he can't even decide which is which, he just, doesn't approve of this way of thinking, Kenneth thought as he glanced sideways, seeing Miya still beside him. _"Do you want to stay forever like this? Not moving? Stagnant?"_

_"I... Wanted to keep -Brain Burst-... I don't want to loose it, or rather, I can't afford to do so..."_ Her eyes had the aura of rejection, of fear, of uncertainty. _"I've... Gone too far. I am a despicable girl. I have done many things that I shouldn't and I am paying the price for it..."_ She added, steely gaze glancing towards the horizon.

So this is what it means... To use -Brain Burst- to possibly 'cheat life'. Yeah, this is what nee-san said...

_"After all, I just kept on fighting... Without a goal... Without something to fight for... And all I wanted were more points, more points so I can keep on doing what I do... And that is cheating life..."_ Miya continued, leaning her back against the fence with a slight creaking sound.

Regrets, Kenneth thought, always does come last.

_"You can still end it. Fight with me, fight with us. Together, let's end this game."_ Kenneth coolly extended his right hand towards Miya, holding it out as a gesture of friendship, as he finally deciphered what this girl, Miyamori Torai a.k.a -Mercuric Void- wanted._ "I won't let you down. I'll make sure Kuroyukihime-sempai and the others accept you..."_ He continued, his eyes shone brightly with a compassionate glow, his lips smiling as he did.

_"But... I'm... I'm not sure..."_ A little bit hesitant, she backed off, her right hand clasped over her chest.

_"It's not too late to change, it never is."_ Were his last words before their hands met, in a gesture of friendship, a bond between two people in real life, shaking them as if telling the world that no force, not even the heavens could shake it.

* * *

_"So, that's about it. I believe it's in our best interest that we accept Miya-chan back into the -Legion-."_ Ending his long string of explanations, Kenneth sat down on his chair and calmly picked up his soda float, twirling it a couple of times before sipping the sweet contents.

The Cafe that they were on was almost close to empty so to say, and only a few folks were there. The almost gloomy aura it provided was a very good meeting place for the five of them, the four people from -Nega Nebulas-, Kenneth Kusanagi; -Noir Eraser-, Chloe Kusanagi; -Uranium Scourge-, Haruyuki Arita; -Silver Crow- and the -Legion Master-, Kuroyukihime; -Black Lotus- and the one who was casted off, Miyamori Torai; -Mercuric Void-.

_"At some point, I can seem to understand how Miya-chan felt when she was tempted to do those stuff, I myself was tempted too, you know..."_ Haruyuki said, his heavyweight build sinking heavily into the chair, making it almost creak as he ate scoop after scoop of his banana split.

The air became silent after the two 'newbies' of the -Legion- explained their sides, the deadness of the air was like a chilly barrier that separated the new and the old players.

_"Sooo... Can we accept her back? I mean, she is really good, plus we really need more people and it's highly risky if we expel people just because of what they did, and besides, she did promise that she will refrain from doing it anymore."_ Kenneth added, his voice came out just a little bit louder than usual.

_"It's true that I have banished her from the -Legion-, after all, I herald honesty and I warned her about the demerits of 'cheating life' using -Brain Burst-."_ This time, it was the -Legion Master- Kuroyukihime who spoke out, her voice had the certain feeling of upper hierarchy. _"Nevertheless, she still continued, even after repeated scoldings from me, she still continued to do things her own way... So I let her do her thing, isn't that right, Miya?"_ Her sharp gaze directed towards the girl who has been silent all along, and who was sitting across her, in the middle of both Kenneth and Chloe.

Miya kept silent, her head hanging down in between her shoulders, her creamy espresso, steaming yet still untouched.

_"But how do you plan on keeping the Legion up and running with this few people? We need all the manpower we could get, should we really want to push through with our plans..."_ Kenneth asserted, his palm almost smacking the table, he was a little bit frustrated so to say.

_"We don't need many people for it, Kenneth. Even if it is just me and Haru, I'd still do it and we will still pull it through."_ Kuroyukihime replied while her eyes were closed, sipping her black coffee whilst holding on to the saucer. _"I believe it is in the best interest of the Legion to keep it free of people who use Brain Burst to their own advantage."_ She finished her statement, placing the now empty cup down on the table with a soft 'clink' sound.

He can't understand her decision, at all. It's as if she was openly rejecting whatever reason or argument he was offering, and it's as if there was some sort of 'bad blood' between Miya and Kuroyukihime, for her to despise her that much, never mind the bad things that she did, they are all at the level of being 'forgivable', it just... Didn't made that much sense for him.

_"Can't... Can't we just forgive and forget, Kuroyukihime-sempai?"_ As Kenneth sighed deeply, he threw his last argument, a plea. He was at the lowest of the low, bottom of the bottom, for him to plea like this, honestly, he didn't want to do it as well, he didn't want to bow his head down, not even to his -Legion Master-, but the situation prompted him. Kenneth stood up, and bowed his head deeply in front of Kuroyukihime, who was surprised herself, and even Haru was. _"Please, I beg of you, please re-accept her into -Nega Nebulas-, that is my wish."_ He didn't mind that some people were looking at him, and he also didn't mind that his sister was looking at him with a look of pity.

No, he does not care. He will sink to whatever low he could.

The girl sitting beside Haru, who was wearing an olive green skirt and a dark blue blazer threw a fit glance over Kenneth, her eyes darted towards Kenneth with a bored yet cold expression. _"I'm sorry, but my words are final."_ Her right hand's index finger slowly tracing the lip of her now empty cup. _"-Nega Nebulas- will not re-accept -Mercuric Void-."_ She added, putting a period to the argument.

_"Bu-but... Sempai..."_ Haru glanced over Kuroyukihime, a concerned look draped over his chubby face. _"Can't we really... I mean... Uuu..."_ He somehow tried to squeeze the words out yet, he just can't defy Kuroyukihime, who by then, turned her sharp gaze towards him.

Even after all the things his Legion Master, Kuroyukihime said, Kenneth still wanted to force his ideals on to her, as he didn't want to have the poor girl be left alone, as he knows that being someone without comrades is a really hard thing, and his sense of 'justice' just didn't permit it, or maybe it's his atonement, for what happened between them earlier, yet still...

_"...I understand."_ Now it was Kenneth, who stood up slowly, using the table's edges to support his weight. _"It's alright, Haru. It's alright..."_ After his short rebuttal, he went over to Miya-chan, grabbing her right wrist in the process.

_"K-Kusanagi-kun? W-What are you d-doing?"_ Was all she can say as she got yanked up from her seat, before being dragged across the cafe.

_"Kenneth!"_ Chloe retorted towards his brother's actions as she stood up before bowing in front of Kuroyukihime. _"Please excuse us, Master. I'm sorry for my brother's actions."_ She apologized while still bowing, her hair becoming disheveled as she did, to which, Kuroyukihime just waved her hand at.

As Kenneth who was dragging Miya-chan exited the cafe, Chloe followed suit, leaving the worried Haru and bored Kuroyukihime behind.

* * *

_"And that is exactly why I want her back to the Legion! Can't that blockhead of a -Legion Master- understand my point?"_ Kenneth said, his voice full of angst as he stood in front of the bench where the two girls; Miya-chan and his sister, Chloe was sitting. _"Up until now, she was one of the Burst Linker who ever put up a good fight like that, so why?"_

_"Kenneth, calm down first..."_ Chloe replied, her face in a confused look as well as she tapped Kenneth's shoulder. _"I'm pretty sure she has her own reasons... And besides, you can still fight with her in tag battles, it's not as if she's that much different, she just can't participate during -Territory Battles- and we're not even doing that so..."_ Chloe continued, putting up a faux smiling expression.

_"But that doesn't change anything nee-san! She is clearly neglecting her duties as -Legion Master- and her judgment is rock bottom, what good do you expect from that type of person?"_ Stomping the ground, Kenneth turned his back against them, throwing the empty can of soda which he drank in one gulp. _"Even her -child- looks weak as well. I wonder what special quality he found in that stubby person. Tch."_ After his sneering remark, Kenneth decided to lean against the monkey bars which were a couple of feet away from the bench.

_"KK, honestly, I don't know what to say..."_ Chloe shrugged.

_"I-I'm fine with being as is anyway, Kusanagi-san. Really. I am."_ This time, Miya spoke up, fidgeting her neatly trimmed nails as she held her head low, hanging them between her shoulders. _"I'm sorry you have to do all of that for me, but rest assured, I'm really okay with it, it's my fault anyway..."_ She trailed off, her voice getting softer.

_"No, it is not. You are part of the -Legion-, and you shall always be."_ Pushing himself up, Kenneth again walked over towards the two girls, noticing how pretty they were as their figures bathed in the now not so warm afternoon sun, which by now, is almost setting, draping the area with a reddish glow. _"Nee-san, what does it take to create your own -Legion-?"_ He then asked out of the blue, his eyes displaying the same confidence it always had.

**_""You can't be serious!""_** Chloe and Miya said in unison, their thoughts bound together.

_"Why not? If other people can do it, how come I can't?"_ Kenneth asked in disbelief. _"If Kuroyukihime-sempai can't re-accept her back into -Nega Nebulas-, then I will just make my own Legion! That's ten times easier than convincing that black lady!"_ He added, pumping his fist into his chest, making a thumping sound.

_"You have to be at least -Level 9- to do so, so I guess it's impossible for now..."_ The elder Kusanagi added, standing up, stretching her arms as she did. _"Well, it's getting pretty late, I still have to go to the grocery to get stuff for dinner, mom said we should cook so yeah... KK, why don't you walk Miya-chan home?"_

_"I-I'm fine! My house is just a few blocks down! Don't worry about me..."_ Miya said as she stood up herself, picking up her bag, dusting it off. _"Sorry to have been a bother..."_ She added as she prepared to walk away.

_"No, I insist. Allow me to at least walk you today as atonement for earlier."_ Kenneth asked, quickly moving in front of Miya, blocking her path.

_"I... Said I'm okay..."_ Glancing away as she held her left hand over her chest, Miya seemed embarrassed. _"But... If you really insist then..."_ She continued, slipping in a fixating gaze over Kenneth.

_"Well then, let us be off. I'll see you later, nee-san! Take care!"_ Kenneth said as the two of them traversed the premises of the park, now devoid of people save for his nee-san, walking side by side with Miya who was firmly holding her bag using both hands.

Chloe waved her hand, throwing a long, sorrowful glance at the pair of young -Burst Linkers-, watching them as they walked towards the setting sun, before disappearing over the horizon, her lips were of a sad demeanor, and her eyes, whilst being gentle, had traces of regrets over them.

As soon as she was sure that the two of them were definitely out of earshot, Chloe Kusanagi slowly lowered her right arm as she spun around. _"You can now reveal yourselves. Or do you want me to come and get you?"_ As if talking to no one, she closed her eyes as she continued to stand in the middle of the now-vacant and seemingly lifeless park...

Those lips which were frowning slowly curled upwards, revealing a smirk.

_"-Burst Link-!"_

* * *

He slowed his pace down to match hers, as her steps were of course, slightly smaller than his, the two of them walked towards the setting sun, casting their long shadows behind them.

_"So yeah, again, I am sorry for what happened earlier..."_ Kenneth weakly muttered while glancing upwards, his right hand clutching his bag which was slung over his right shoulder. _"I didn't mean to... You know... It was just... Out of impulse..."_ He sighed, seemingly to deject himself.

_"It's okay, I'm at fault as well. I shouldn't have just did that out of whim..."_ Miya as always, kept her head down. She's really so different from when she is in the -Accelerated World-. _"So I guess we're quits..."_ She whispered.

_"Okay then. I hope we can... Err... Become good friends..."_ He bashfully said, his gaze casted down just like her's. _"I mean, people should help each other when they are in need, right? So my conclusion is that we should stick together."_

As the sun gradually lost it's brilliance, the two -Burst Linkers- slowly walked their way around the neighborhood, side by side, without regards that just a few hours ago they were fighting each other. The reddish glow of the sunset permeated their figures, and as Miya skipped ahead of Kenneth, she stood in front of him with the last few lights of the sun behind her.

_"Thank you for believing in me, Kenneth..."_

She happily said, with a genuine smile painted across her gentle face, with eyes almost sparkling with contentment as the last radiant waves of the sun made her look like as if she was the sun itself.

All he could do was stand there in rigid attention, his eyes affixed to her, hand waving as he bade goodbye, drops of sweat accumulating on his brow, face stiffened, flushed red, knees trembling.

Since when did he looked so weak? Kenneth thought as the girl - Miyamori Torai happily skipped ahead, going inside the gates of one of the bland houses that line the neighborhood. It was like, he was interested in her, no, scratch that, he is infatuated by her for him to be experiencing this level of nervousness just from seeing her off.

But as the last few strands of silver colored hair left his vision, Kenneth's tensed behavior eased, now focused on another thing.

_"Kuroyukihime...So you dare ignore my pleas..."_

* * *

-Uranium Scourge-

It was a name she had held for quite some time now, a name that she disliked at first, given it's unpure origins, Chloe thought as she opened and closed her fists, which were now in the form of her Duel Avatar, the ash gray coating, resembling the after burned coal from the burner saturated her avatar's persona; which is a humanoid-like form, closely mimicking what seems to be a 'riot trooper'-esque stature, in her hands was a fearsome large and double-barreled shotgun like armament.

It is certainly someone who's not befitting her, but who knows, as they say, -Duel Avatars- are formed curing the first night after -Brain Burst- is installed, with the program delving into the user's mind to seek his or her own trauma or complexes,however minuscule it is and materializing it, granting the user it's powers.

But what sort of trauma or complex she holds, she doesn't even know. She's not sure how she got this grumpy looking avatar, but since it had served her well, there is nothing to complain about.

No, maybe she knew...

_"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant, -Uranium Scourge-."_ A shadow emerged out of hiding, his face obscured by a visor-like headgear, his greenish 'eyes' foreshadowed by the opaque material. _"All these years, you and that wretched black witch has evaded us... But sadly, all things must come to an end."_ His voice was almost a monotone, flatly exclaimed as his not so bulky -Duel Avatar- steadily walked in front of her, a pair of katar-like weapons in each hand.

Yellow.

His -Duel Avatar- was an elegant yellow. Not as saturated as the -Yellow King-, but it was, up to a certain extent, really concentrated.

Yellow.

_"Uh huh. So this is what that insane clown planned for all these years. I see he is still as slow as ever. How long has it been? Two? Three years? It's been forever."_ Not moving an inch nor flinching against the obviously hostile aura of the avatar in front of her, -Uranium Scourge- kept her calm and composure.

_"No problem, as long as we get you, the big boss'll surely rewards us! Gwahahahaha!"_ Then a loud voice boomed out of her far right side, and at the same time, a lesser saturated yellow avatar came hulking towards her, his overly large, unproportioned arms dangled as he dragged them by his feet, picking up dust and dirt as he did.

_"Quit yapping both of you. As you can see, we already lost the other two targets because the two of you dragged me down a lot."_

Just then, another avatar, this time his was a mix of yellow, with flame like red swirling all over his created persona. _"Oh oh. Pardon me. I am so truly sorry, mademoiselle but your usual chagrin charade will end today."_He added, jumping of from the top of a street-light like structure, descending down without even disturbing the dust, and using both of his hands, he held a crossbow like armament, but it was slightly larger than the usual one, and it was dyed yellow and read, same with his avatar.

In just a matter of seconds, her vision was flooded with flames, along with the usual -HP- and -Special Attack Gauge- on her upper left hand corner, beneath it was -Uranium Scourge-. She then checked what she was holding, an ash gray double barreled sawed off shotgun, which she got as part of her starting equipment. It was loaded with ammo, a mix of corrosive acid rounds and hellblazer rounds, after all, bullet creation was her forte.

A shotgun.

A gun which is most effective when used in point blank range where it's buckshot could be utilized to spread at a tight angle, making the overall damage zoom up.

Getting up close with people.

Yes, she remembers. She used to be someone who's afraid of getting close to another person. Afraid of rejection, of being ostracized. She was wary of what other people would think of her, making her complex a really hard one. She was almost always alone, and had no one else to back her up or to even help her in times of need.

Her memories flashed before her, starting from the first day she met her 'parent', to the days she spent training to improve her skills, to the fights she fought, to the joys of winning, and the bitterness of defeat. The day she joined -Nega Nebulas-, and even the day she became a parent for Kenneth.

Ah yes, Kenneth. He has grown to be someone who is capable of defending what he wants to protect. It's been short but, she can say she's pretty much amazed at his exceptional advancement in the Accelerated World, surprised up to some degree. She regrets not being able to guide him further on, and somewhat sad as she thought of what he said awhile ago...

_"I want to create my own legion!"_

Those words hit her like a stone wall. Such determination, such courage to even spark up the idea... It was spectacular. Sure, he can't really accomplish that right now but... Given time, she's pretty much sure he can, and he will. What an exceptional Burst Linker she has chosen as a child.

-?-

-?-

-?-

Three symbols, along with three green bars hovered on her upper right hand side.

-1800-

The usual timer in the middle of their HP bars.

***CRUNCH* *KLANK* *KATHUNK***

The sound of armaments being readied.

She could hear them all, heck she could even hear her's, Miya-chan's and Kenneth's laughter, along with Haru's and Kuroyukihime's.

They all looked happy, they were all having fun, all of them, including her. It was almost perfect.

The -Legion-, no, the family she treasured the most, the people who she laughed with, shared pains and tears with, fought together, won with together, loosed with together, they were all there, smiling and looking back at her, their faces brightly illuminated by the sheer happiness they so exquisitely displayed.

They were looking back at her, as if they were waiting for her...

Those faces, those smiles, she wanted to protect and preserve them...

-DUEL-

_"Kenneth, and to the rest of you guys, I'm not sure if I can still go back... But... Let this be my final memory..."_

-START!-

_"Let your smiles be my memento towards the bond we formed together! Let my sacrifice be the fuel to the continuity of our dreams! **EN GARDE**!"_

The one named -Uranium Scourge- charged forward, her voice full of confidence and strength, continuously firing and reloading her shotgun as the shots exploded against the trio of -Burst Linkers- in front of her. There wasn't any traces nor hint of anger on her voice, and it seemed like she was even having fun amidst the situation she as in.

The four -Burst Linkers- danced around the battlefield, their song an evidence of a silent genocide hidden beneath the gears of time, -Uranium Scourge- singing a lonely aria that only she knows, and that only her closest friends can hear, her bullets, the sparks of the hardships they went through with, cutting open a path towards their tomorrow.

She knew it was hopeless, she didn't had any to begin with, she most likely knew she didn't stood a chance against these high-leveled offenders, yet she still fought, she knew that the longer she drags the fight on, the safer Miya and Kenneth can reach.

She was happy.

Happy that she can be an instrument to these people who showed a lot of promise, to the people who have the ability, the strength, the will, and the ideals to back them up, even if she will be sacrificed, she knows it will not be in vain.

As she continued to stand up, dragging her limp limbs around, she never once let go of her weapon, the symbol of her faith. She held up her avatar's battered head, silvery liquid trickling down her cheek. _"Hah... Hahah... You... Can't bring me down that easily..."_

With the last bit of her remaining strength, she held up her shotgun, chambering in the last two rounds she conjured, special ones, drawing all the might left in her, she charged forward, gun at the ready.

_"Come, let's finish this!"_

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! What's up? Sorry I was a little bit delayed, work's such a hassle, phew. Moving on, here we have another one of those 'talkative' chapters, please bear with me as I need to emphasize on a couple of things from Kenneth's past so yeah. Just another 1 or 2 more chapters before we jump back to the present, I hope you guys keep on holding on. Oh yeah, we got another review from "josesl16" and just to answer some of his queries, Chole refers to Kuroyukihime as "master" in a sense like how Takumu refers to Kuroyukihime as "master", not really a -child- and -parent- relationship. And yeah, probably one or two blocks were copy pasta'd from BT, but the person who translated the part is someone I know personally, and I've got permission from him to do so. And as for a few characters being a little bit overpowered, I've changed a couple of stuff with regards to the game's system, and sometime, I'll release a "character stat sheet" to shed light to it's mystery, be sure to tune in. Anyways, this is the longest A/N I've done ever, so I'll end it here, look forward to next week's chapter! See yah!


	7. Chapter 7 U N D O

**Chapter 6: "U N D O"**

* * *

The night sky started to paint the heavens dark, the breeze becoming colder, as if signaling the passing over of the sun.

Holding his bag over his shoulder, clutching it tightly, his bangs which partly covers his right eye swayed back and forth with the wind, his completely unbuttoned upper polo uniform lazily draped over his hunched figure as Kenneth walked back home slowly, his head hung between his shoulders and his eyes cast downwards.

He can still feel the warmth on his cheeks, product of him walking Miya-chan home. He was embarrassed, yeah, up to some extent, he didn't know why, maybe because it was actually the first time he actually walked a girl home or maybe because she seemed to be a little too good to be true, Kenneth doesn't know and he just doesn't care.

He has more pressing issues to mind anyway.

The rejection from Kuroyukihime. It still hit him pretty hard. He just doesn't want to go back on his own words, on his promise to Miya; that she will belong to another /Legion/, but since the /Black King/ /Black Lotus/ refused to accept her back, he might have to resort to other means possible.

But what?

Creating his own /Legion/? No, it's utterly impossible at this point.

Going to another /Legion/? No, it's impossible and it's way too reckless, even for him.

So now what? Is there any other way? Kenneth thought a lot of things as he walked throughout the confines of the neighborhood, his steps were heavy, and his mind was running full blast.

*RING RING*

Suddenly, in front of his peripheral vision, a /Notification Window/ popped open which said /Incoming Call/. As corny as it may seem, the /Neuro Linker/ is not only used to connect to the Internet and whatnot, it also replaced the old cellphone technology, giving it the power to handle a lot of communicational functions such as mailing and calls.

Kenneth's hand glided across, pressing the /Accept Call/ button with a flick of his fingers, thus patching the unknown caller through his /Neuro Linker/, configured into the /Mind Talk/ function.

_"Kenneth. I need your help with something as soon as possible."_ Said the voice from the other line, a slight crackling noise heard from the background.

It was a familiar gentle yet bored tone of voice, something he could never mistake for anyone else.

Kuroyukihime.

Wanting to respond positively, yet at the same time remembering her rejection from earlier, there was a storm of conflicting ideas inside Kenneth's brain. _"What help? Sorry I'm quite busy right now."_ He replied coolly, before promptly ending the call, tapping the /Neuro Linker/ to do so.

He revoked his earlier opinion for her. Yeah sure, she's pretty. She's intelligent. She's strong. But she's reckless, she's heartless and she just doesn't understand the will of her people, and he thinks it's ridiculous if a 'King' doesn't listen to his subjects, the driving force behind his rule.

_"If the King doesn't move, his people won't follow."_

Remembering an old saying from a really popular anime that was aired about twenty years ago or so, Kenneth clearly deducted that Kuroyukihime is not fit to be a /King/, because a /King/ who hides is a /King/ who looses, well at least to him.

*RING RING*

Then came another /Notification Window/ in front of him, another /Incoming Call/. Kenneth gnashed his teeth, irritated from the constant annoyance. Wanting to end it quickly because the caller refused to hang up after a couple of rings, he pressed the /Accept Call/ button.

_"Where /static/ you right now? I /static/ you, Kenneth! Or rather, your sis... /static/ head over /static/ park static now!"_

*BEEP BEEP*

The /Call Terminated/ message displayed before he could even react. Surprised, Kenneth stopped walking, he was about a few blocks home anyway, and calmly started thinking. Why did Kuroyukihime called him? What for? And he thought he heard something that sounds like "sister", but he wasn't sure.

Guess he would just head back home to check up, he started briskly walking towards his house.

_"I'm home..."_ Kenneth said in a louder than normal voice as he entered the confines of his house, hoping that everything would still be normal, the way it has always been.

Little did he know that it won't, and will never be.

* * *

_"Oh, KK. Welcome back."_ His mother greeted him, dressed in her usual work clothes, preparing to go to her office for work, as usual. _"Where's your sister? I thought she was coming home earlier to make dinner, but it seems you even arrived earlier from her..."_ She asked, putting on her shoes by the doorway.

Kenneth started feeling a little bit iffy, like something was off.

_"Uuhh... I... Have no idea. I also thought she went home earlier..."_ Kenneth, who was still standing with his back against the front door felt chills running down his spine, some sort of sixth sense maybe. His mind started to process a lot of stuff that may have had happened, which he prayed deep inside will not be reality. _"But, don't worry, I'll be contacting and looking for her, because I won't have dinner if I don't hahaha~"_ He scratched his head while forcing a laugh.

_"You better be. Anyways, I'm off, you guys take care of the house then~"_ His mother replied as she lifted her handbag off the ground while heading for the door.

_"Y-yeah."_ Moving away from the door, Kenneth waved his hand before locking the door as his mother went out.

'Where could you be, nee-san...'

Fumbling with the menus on his /Neuro Linker/, Kenneth tried to contact his sister, yet the /System Notification/ he got was either it was busy, was out of signal range or the device is off, taken off, or is not connected to the /Global Net/.

But that shouldn't be the case.

As his sister never takes it off while she's outside, the signal's pretty good in their neighborhood, and she doesn't even had any other plans save for going to the groceries to buy stuff, so Kenneth thought it was really, really off. He then remembered the calls Kuroyukihime made earlier. She said she needed something. At first, he thought it would be for some other menial tasks or whatnot, but because he's pissed off from her, he decided to ignore it.

Then it finally hit him.

Beads of sweat slowly traced their way downwards from his brow.

Without a second's pause to think, Kenneth burst out of their door, sprinting outside.

The dead air of the night left perspiration all over his body as he ran full speed towards where he thought his sister would be. The skies above him were dark, not only because it's already around seven in the evening, but there were traces of rain clouds that obscure even the moon, making the night sky an endless shade of black.

And as if the world decided to screw everything else, a light drizzle started pouring down.

_"Ah crap. Where are you, nee-san..."_ He silently whispered as he dashed off forward, not minding the rain.

He ran full speed ahead, wanting to see his sister, to erase the clouds in his heart. Maybe it was just instinct, or probably, familial drive but, he couldn't imagine what could have happen, or why, it's just that, it was too coincidental, it's like it was orchestrated, this whole thing...

*THUMP THUMP*

Almost out of breath from running a couple of blocks without pause, Kenneth arrived at the park...

And that was when he saw it, his sister, Chloe Kusanagi, yes, she was still, in the park, she was even sitting down on the swing, gently riding it back and forth, her hands holding the chains to it's side, and her gaze upwards. Her uniform was dusty and a little bit damp from the light rain, her bag was on the ground, it's contents sprawled around, her face was red and her hair was a mess.

_"Nee-san!"_ He dashed to where she was sitting, taking off his uniforms jacket part and draping it over her shoulders. Kenneth vaguely noticed the dead, empty look in her eyes. _"Oi, nee-san, what happened? Why are you still here? Come on, let's go home and make some dinner, mom was even looking for you..."_ He said as he picked up the school supplies brazenly scattered on the ground.

Silence.

She didn't respond, her gaze still affixed to the clouds above.

What could have happened? He still can't fathom it, even after seeing her. But one thing is for sure. Something happened.

_"Nee-san, hey, snap out of it. What happened anyway?"_ Looking at his sister's state, it was like she was... Abused or something, it was like she's not seeing him, or not even hearing what he is saying. Kenneth placed his hands over her shoulders, lightly shaking it. _"Nee-san! Nee-san! Snap out of it! Hey!"_ He remarked as he shook her, trying to snap her out of that state.

Silence.

Still, here was nothing. Her body didn't move, as if it was paralyzed, her shine on her eyes was gone, and her expression was a blank puzzle. She just sat there, gently swinging. Kenneth didn't knew what to do, heck, he doesn't even know what happened., and in his confusion, he fiddled with the /Neuro Linker/ menu, trying to make a call.

To Kuroyukihime. Whatever happened, she must have known it, yeah, he's a hundred percent sure that she does.

His hands glided back and forth, checking the /System Memory's/ log records to find her number...

_"...I knew you would be coming back for her, Kenneth Kusanagi."_ Just then, a shrill voice echoed through the empty park.

Looking around, Kenneth stopped his actions and stood beside his sister, clenching her bag with his right hand while his left was over her shoulders, trying to secure her against the unknown. But who was it? His mind searched for answers, he thought of a lot of possibilities, he had a lot of conclusions, but there was one that stood out.

"_What... Have you done to her?"_ Casting his eyes downwards, letting his hair fall over his face, Kenneth sticked closer to his sister whilst the rain started pouring a little bit heavier, becoming light rainfall, dampening their clothes. _"Show yourself!"_ Kenneth shouted at the unknown assailant.

Yeah. He knew it. For whatever reason, someone must have attacked her. But why? For what reason? Kenneth's eyes darted left and right, scanning the immediate area.

_"Hahahaha. Stop scaring the kid, man. You're going to make him wet his pants!"_ Then came another voice, which was a lot cruder than the first one, still echoing through the park. _"Now boy, don't run away, we're reaaaaallllyyyy good fellows. Bwahahaha!"_ The laughter resounded in the area.

_"Enough, you bastard. Let's just finish this although it's such a pity he didn't came back with the other girl but oh well. We'll have to make ends meet."_ Another voice. This one however, was a lot calmer and more sensible than the other two. _"Ah, we forgot to introduce ourselves to you, kid. Or should I say, /Noir Eraser/?"_ He added, and at the same time, there appeared three shadows, slowly emerging from the opposite side of the park.

Kenneth was left speechless. There were three people, no, there were three /Burst Linkers/. What happened? Who are these people? It was the very first time Kenneth felt absolute fear, ever since he installed /Brain Burst/. But then again, this is just a game. But when thought about it, about her sister's words that 'This is a game, yet it is not', it became to sink in.

There are people who took this game very seriously.

_"Wh-who are you? What did you guys do to my sister?"_ Kenneth shouted at the unseen shadows, his voice had traces of fear behind them. _"Show yourselves you cowards! Stop hiding!"_

He angrily added.

_"Ever the proud kid eh? Guess the 'data' we have weren't wrong! Hahahaha!"_ the loud, shrill voice said, his ensemble thundering against the silent night.

Shit, Kenneth thought.

These are /Burst Linkers/, and for some reasons, they did something to his sister. Could it be...? No, he doesn't want to think about it, or rather, he refuses to do so, he's afraid, afraid of what may come. The fear he felt was nothing compared to having Miya-chan figure out his hiding trick, no, this is naught against that.

This was pure fear, fear of being "Game Over"-ed.

His knees started trembling, his furrowed brows started perspiring, mixing with the rainwater.

Kenneth hugged his almost lifeless looking sister closely, bringing his lips close to her ears. _"Nee-san, what have they done? Did they dueled you?"_ He whispered, making sure his voice was really low.

Just then, the seemingly dead eyes belonging to Chloe Kusanagi darted to her right, landing straight into Kenneth's own pair of eyes. _"Oh my. KK. What are you doing out so late at night? Duel? What do you mean? Wait, what am I doing here outside?"_ She silently muttered, her head tilted a little sideways in an innocent expression.

And that was when his fear was realized. He didn't fully understood but, these guys probably harassed his sister. Those son of b**ches. Kenneth clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his skin, biting into his lips until they were red. He was furious, and at the same time, he felt hopeless.

Well, after all, he did say he will protect her but what happened? Where was he? Where was he when he was needed the most?

Where was he when his sister was in danger?

Shit.

Without thinking too much about it, he just let his emotions take over, his eyes were at the point where tears started to well, his voice, starting to crumble, yet still managing to find the strength to scream, his throat was parched, and his ears were ringing.

_" / L-/"_

As he was chanting the lines to initiate his fight, Kenneth got cut off, checking the surroundings, there was a familiar sight by the park's entrance.

A chubby body, brown, messy hair.

Haruyuki Arita.

"/Burst Link/!" Haru's voice was calm and refined, opposite of what's his. Initiating contact, his dead gaze fell upon Kenneth as the world around them corroded into a blue haze, forcing their consciousness out of their body, momentarily donning their /Global Net/ avatar as the names of their /Duel Avatar/ were lined up in the match list.

Haruyuki's pink pig avatar moved quickly, his hands picking out /Noir Eraser/ and his own name, /Silver Crow/ from the list, before picking out the /?/, /?/ and the /?/ symbols that was below them before finally, with a single thrust of the chubby little pig hands, he pressed /Duel/.

It didn't even took half a second, the world started to flush the blue color in exchange for an almost desert like backdrop, the shrill winds blew past them as they found themselves equipped in their own /Duel Avatars/ this time, Haruyuki's /Silver Crow/ radiated with pure silver, his helmet face was a translucent green, while /Noir Eraser/ was in stark contrast with him, his being jet-black with red inlaids, his Dragon Knight-like helmet obscures half of his face with a red visor.

_"Oi /Silver Crow/ what is this? Explain yourself! How? What happened?"_ Kenneth's mouth erupted with a torrent of questions, his head facing towards Haru whilst clutching his spear with his right hand tightly.

_"Just fight, KK. Just fight. Let's avenge your sister."_ Haruyuki replied calmly, yet his voice carried an err of anger which was also felt by the aura his /Duel Avatar/ gave off. _"These guys... These guys erased your sister's /Brain Burst/!"_ He added lowly, his fists also curled up into a ball, the silvery mechanical fingers gave out clanking noises.

_"SAY WHAT?"_ Kenneth stammered, slamming his spear tip first into the ground, splitting the concrete about 2 and a half meters from where it was stuck. _"B-BUT HOW? WH-WHAT HAPPENED?"_ He gnarled angrily at /Silver Crow/, his voice broken yet loud.

_"These guys are from the /Yellow Legion/, and as sempai said, they are out to find the remnants of /Nega Nebulas/ and exterminate them, unfortunately, they got to Chloe-sempai first..."_ Haru replied, readying his sword arm for battle, cracking his knuckles after swinging them around.

_"Shit. Shit. Shit Shit. Why does this have to happen? TELL ME WHY?"_ Kenneth took a few steps towards /Silver Crow/, grabbing him by the neck and raising him just a few centimeters above the ground. _"WAS KUROYUKIHIME PART OF THIS FARCE? WAS IT BECAUSE OF MY INSUBORDINATION? DON'T ACT DUMB, YOU'RE NOTHING BUT THAT BLACK BITCH'S DOG!"_ He hammered away, if this was a real life face-to-face conversation, you might even see spittle raining from his mouth.

Clutching /Noir Eraser's/ hand that was holding him, the claws of his avatar scratching against the metallic carapace of his jet-black armor. _"Th-this... Wasn't... A-any... O-of her p-plans..."_

Grasping for air and was almost choked out from the pain receptors embedded in-game, Haru tried to wiggle out of Kenneth's grasp, to no avail. _"Li-listen, KK, w-... We shouldn't... Fight... We... Have more pressing... Matters to attend to..."_ Then, he pointed his fingers towards the opposite side of the field, where the three yellow /Duel Avatars/ began to make their move.

Releasing /Silver Crow/ by throwing him a couple of meters away, /Noir Eraser/ quickly picked up his spear. _"Fuck. Fuck this shit. I don't believe in anything, I don't know! I FRIGGIN' DON'T KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"_ He exclaimed, before charging forward, his speartip in front of him, the thrusters on his back giving him a speed boost, in front of him, were the three 'foreign' yellow avatar, in a triangular formation, the guy wielding a pair of katars and the guy who had huge fists in the triangle's base, acting as lead, while the yellow-red guy was in the back, prepping his crossbow like armament for firing. _"DAMN IT AAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!"_

_"/NOIR ERASER/! WAIT! DON'T CHARGE AHEAD THEY-"_ Haru screamed as he picked himself up yet, he was too late.

The huge guy slammed his huge fists, joined together in the ground, making a huge shock-wave that traveled forwards to /Noir Eraser/ who got caught in it, halting his charge. As Kenneth raised both of his hands forward to guard against the wave, a shadow flashed by his sides, noticing it a couple of milliseconds before he felt sharp, lacerating pain from his back, and upon glancing backwards, the guy who wields dual katars was running and slashing him as he was thrown back.

Landing on his knees a good distance over, his back hurt like hell and he wasn't able to counter attack because the katar guy was nowhere in sight, the huge guy was far away, and the third guy...

*ZIIIIIIIIIIING*

_"AUUGH"_ In an instant, Kenneth felt another sharp, piercing pain, this time it was from... His knee. _"Shit. Shit. It fucking hurts. AAAAAAHHHHH."_ The third guy, the one with red-like flame staining his yellow /Duel Avatar/. The crossbow he was wielding was emitting smoke, and there were traces of electricity permeating it's barrel.

Rushing over to his teammate, Haruyuki stood in front of him, probably guarding him from any other chain attacks. _"KK, listen. This is not the right time for this, right now, let's focus on this fight, if we don't, Chloe-sempai will be in more danger. Snap out of it, man!"_ He coolly said, as he clenched his fists.

Taking Kenneth's silence as a cue, Haruyuki lunged forward, dodging the incoming projectiles fired by the crossbow guy, his figure twisting and weaving it's way forward without fear.

Gritting his teeth, refusing to be left behind, Kenneth stood up, amidst the staggering pain he felt from his right knee, he grabbed his spear and zoomed past Haruyuki using his thrusters, his target was the huge guy who was again preparing to initiate the strategy they did just awhile ago. The guy was able to again, slam his fist into the ground, sending yet another shock-wave forwards, but Kenneth and Haruyuki, with just a glance to each other, was able to dodge it by moving to either sides.

A fraction of a second later, Kenneth's spear connected to the huge guy's torso, skewering and impaling him through and at the same time, Haru's punch landed on the slender katar wielding guy who tried to backstab him, the guy's face met Haru's fists together with the momentum from both his own attack and the silver avatar's momentum, and as a result, his body was sent careening to the opposite side of he arena that they were on.

Then, again sending just mere glances to each other, both /Noir Eraser/ and /Silver Crow/ lunged forward with exceptional speed, surprising the trio which barely reacted, with the two front liners badly mauled, and with only the crossbow guy left, and he was fumbling with his equipment, getting it recharged or something. At the blink of an eye, they were just a couple of feet away from him, spear tip and knuckles ready to bare their fangs on him when...

*SHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!*

The crossbow guy who was pinned down suddenly stood up and hurled a tube-like object towards towards them, catching them off-guard, as it exploded, a shrill sound reverberated inside of their ears, reaching all the way back to their eardrums, numbing their sense of sound, they thought their physical bodies may have even felt it as well. The two soon lost their focus and balance, and they tumbled on the ground, holding the sides of their heads.

At that lull in time, smoke and fog started to gush out of the ground, drowning the battlefield in a blurry haze of yellowish demeanor.

/Noir Eraser/ and /Silver Crow/, which was still balled up in a fetal position didn't even budge an inch, obviously either hurt or severely stunned by the 'flashbang' effect that they took head on were oblivious to what was going on around them.

After a couple of minutes, the smoke started to dissipate, the three yellow raiders nowhere in sight, and before Kenneth and Haru could even react, their avatars started to forcefully divide into pixels, signaling the end of a match. But wait, before completely vanishing, both of them managed to check their respective /HP/ bars, with each just a few pixels from being completely drained, so they assumed, they never lost, but they never won either.

The last thing their sanity noticed was a message shown directly into their peripheral vision which read **/FORCE TERMINATION; HAS ENCOUNTERED A FATAL ERROR./**

* * *

He couldn't remember what happened.

The moment his sanity came crashing back in, Kenneth quickly sat up from lying down, his sweat trickling down his cheeks. Holding out his hands in front of him, he was still in one piece, pretty good, actually, but there was a lull in his memories, for he can't clearly remember what transpired right after he saw the message that popped up after he was logged out of /Brain Burst/.

Looking around, he was in a rather, familiar place, his room. He was even wearing his pajamas, and the clothes he wore last night were all but neatly tidied up in his clothes basket, ready for laundry.

Then he remembered something really ominous.

His sister. What happened?

As quickly as he moved inside the /Accelerated World/, Kenneth dashed out of his room, almost dragging his blanket all the way down the stairs, his footsteps thumped really hard, seemingly rocking the entire house itself, and his voice that was shouting incoherent almost battle cry thingamajigs. Upon reaching the first floor of the house, more specifically, the kitchen, he was encountered by a aromatic scent that can only be attained by...

_"NEE-SAN!"_ Kenneth shout out loud, his voice full of happiness and joy, surprising the girl who was cooking omelets, Chloe Kusanagi.

As she almost jumped from the sudden scream she heard, Chloe quickly spun around and saw Kenneth, who was still wearing his pajamas. _"Whoa KK, calm down. Yeah yeah, I am cooking breakfast, and if you don't change out of your pajamas to your uniform, you'd be pretty late for school."_ She said while still tossing and turning the bright golden yellow puffy batch of omelets in the frying pan.

'What?, was what Kenneth thought. If dinner had been done, then most likely, he slept for the evening, and meaning, he was either carried back home last night, or somehow managed to crawl back, or was mystically teleported back in, but of course, that's impossible.

_"Nee-san! How did we got home last night? What happened at the park? No, scratch that, what did those guys from the /Yellow Legion/ did to you? What about Haru?"_ Kenneth exclaimed in a furious string of questions, even forgetting to breath as he did, his arms folded out in a grandiose way as he searched for answers to fill in the empty gap of memory he had lost, hoping to squeeze them out from his sister.

For a few seconds, Chloe just stood there, even her hands that were skillfully manipulating the ladle was frozen.

_"Huh? I... Didn't understood what you just said, KK."_ Was her short reply before quickly turning back around and resumed minding their breakfast.

Puzzled from his sister's response, Kenneth was also left speechless for a brief period of time. _"W-what do you mean you didn't understood, nee-san? I meant, about last night, you know, at the park? What happened back then? How did we even get home?"_ He calmly inquired thereafter.

Craning her head sideways, her eyes donned a mask of uncertainty, Chloe said, _"Uhh, I don't get it at all KK, what are you talking about? We were here all night long, I even cooked lasagna for us, what's up with you?"_ as she slowly closed her eyes and began sighing a loudly that will make even the Gods frown.

Judging from her looks to her eye expression, Kenneth deduced that she wasn't lying. Those sad, empty and seemingly blank eyes didn't seem to lie about not knowing anything. It's just that, she really doesn't. Which, leads to the question, what really happened? Kenneth processed already processed a lot of conclusions and hypothesis to that questions, yet he needed solid proof, he just can't finalize his musing, not until someone goes in and confirms it for him.

Proof.

_"Aight, sorry I think I was just lightheaded from all the sleeping I did. Aha ha ha ha~"_ Laughing hollowly, Kenneth placed his hand over his head, scratching it gently. _"Well, I'll be changing over to my uniform then, sorry to bother you but your cooking really is good nee-san haha!"_ He added as he slowly paced back towards his room, his fingers majestically gliding to and fro, checking the files and folders inside his /Neuro Linker/, and once he was able to confirm that Brain Burst was still there, he opened the door to his room, connected to the Global Net and flicked a couple of more options as he dressed in his usual light blue jacket and pants.

/Dial "Kuroyukihime-Sempai?/  
/Yes/ | /No/

Kenneth sat down on the edge of his bed as he finished buttoning up his jacket, his right index finger just slightly above the /Yes/ option.

Without thinking too much about it, he pressed it, then came a ringing sound along with a /Notification Window/ hat his call was connecting. The couple of seconds that flew by him as the call tried connecting seemed to be an eternity, his mind went blank, and his mind went berserk, with all the bad stuff he thought of. Last night, he was sure that for some reasons, his sister didn't come home early like she did say, instead, she decided to probably hang out in the park and got into an argument with those guys from the /Yellow Legion/, which led to whatever happened, he still was unsure.

_"Yes? What is it so early, Kenneth?"_ The voice he was waiting for went through and actually answered, that bored and unmotivated voice, he really can't forget who's it was, no, not after all the things that have transpired.

_"What happened. Tell me everything."_ With a harsh and cold voice, Kenneth pressed his /Legion Master/, Kuroyukihime for answers, his anger can't just calm down, no, not after he found out he was safe, but whatever happened yesterday, sure was a big event, if it really happened, and his sister... If Haru is right then... _"SPEAK!"_ He really couldn't control his emotions as they swirled from deep inside, welling up up to his neck.

_"Listen. This is something that we musn't discuss over the network. Come to the student lounge after school today, and I will explain everything."_ Kuroyukihime replied before promptly ending the call, the line went busy a couple of seconds after.

As the beeping sound continued to rang, Kenneth couldn't help but clutch his sheets and pillows in fury, his eyes were slanted upwards and his teeth was gnashing against his own lips, draining it of color.

That bitch, and to think she even had the nerve to order him around? She clearly doesn't know how important this is to him, despite the fact that he tried persuading her many many times, she just can't see the things through his own eyes, she can't see what he sees, her vision only narrows from herself, and that pig of a man, Haru. She clearly doesn't care for anybody else, and she is willing to sacrifice her own /Legion/ just to be on the safe side.

Unforgivable.

Kenneth stood up and headed for the door, his eyes that were full of hatred just a few moments ago, were now peaceful, yet his mouth was curved upwards, an evil smirk slowly forming.

_"You shall taste what she had gone through, /Black Lotus/."_

* * *

__A/N: What's up everybody Seiji Godspeed here with yet another installment of Accel World, I apologize for it's delay because I was quite pissed off from the anime getting delayed last week, but since today I finally got my Kuroyukihime goodness, I was able to finish this Chapter in a blitz. Here we have more backstory unfolding, I bet you we're surprised haha. But yeah, it's all a requirement for what's going to happen next Chapter, and hey, the next one is going to be the last Chapter for the "Flashback Arc" of the story, and right after that, we jump back into the present! Hooray! Something to look forward to haha. Oh yeah, before I forgot, I am also doing another fanfic, this time it's for Hidan no Aria, and it's called "Hidan no Aria: Requiem of a Lost Melody", which can also be searched here, just hit the search bar and type in Hidan no Aria, and just go look for my pen name. So yeah, let's wrap it up here, I'm still quite busy because we are having an anime figurine display booth (YES! I'M A BISHOUJO FIGURE COLLECTOR!) for a local anime and toy convention called "Toycon 2012" Haha! Thanks for everyone who are taking 10-15 minutes out of their usually busy daily lives to read through the stiff I write, I can't thank you well enough, and I can't even express how happy I am. Soooo yeah, please look forward to more, and please do some R&Rs! Greetz, Seiji Godspeed.


	8. Chapter 8 Uninstall

**Chapter Seven: "Uninstall"**

* * *

Anger and rage.

Those two synonymous yet conflicting emotions ravaged Kenneth's trembling heart as ran full speed towards his school, munching on a French toast made by his sister as he went, clutching his leather bag alongside him, he neither cared for his appearance even if his white polo under cloth dangled freely from under his light blue top coat, or even if he felt his hair was a mess, he didn't care.

All that was in his head was to get revenge. Revenge for his sister, aimed at the Black King, for in all that he knew, she was the one who sparked everything that happened, and his sister was the victim. Yes, in his narrow minded thinking, his emotions, the violent one poured onto a single entity, the center of the Black Legion, it's King.

Black Lotus

She wanted to be the very first Level 10 Burst Linker in the Accelerated World, and in order to do so, she needed to kill off five fellow Level 9 Pure Colored King, forever robbing them the ability to Accelerate. Up to some degree, it is something that was frowned upon by the rest of her fellow Kings, as all of them wanted to preserve whatever balance or power equilibrium each of the Legions possess, but that logic seemed to have not applied to Black Lotus.

She wanted change, she wanted to finish this game. She wanted to push forward and see everything through, even if she had to fight against the world. That concept was the very same idea that appealed to Kenneth, her ideals were just too perfect, and it was supposed to be the true goal of all the other players of that world, yet he didn't quite get it why people wanted to stay stagnant, forever muddling in a world that at some point, will inevitably meet it's fated destruction.

He is a type of person who really loved games, up to the extent of relying on it to sometimes escape the harshness of reality, a safe haven where he could freely express all he had hidden, away from the rest of the world, far from the chastise of reality, and certainly excluded from the real world's high standards. Kenneth enjoyed this freedom, and it is his form of salvation, away from the cruel world.

On the other side was his sister. Sure, they are a year apart, they weren't of the same gender, and quite frankly, there are times that he hated her but, she's still his family, and besides, she wholly accepted Kenneth for who he is, and not for what he does. He knew he was family and that of course, she will always pick her family above everything else but, the level of acceptance she showed him subdued those ties, it was, frankly different. She bore no ill intent, she harbored no underlying motives, and most certainly, have no intentions to use him for whatever reason she sees fit, simply because, she's not that kind of person.

In addition, she was the one who brought him into this world. The world hidden between the gears of time, the . She was the one who taught him everything she knew from the base up, she guided him through the ropes, making sure that even if he slipped and fell down a couple of times, that he has someone to depend on, someone he can trust with his back, someone who can walk beside him and stay with him through thick and thin.

Yet, in one instant, this gift was taken away from him.

That special privilege given to her, robbed blindly, his only ally in this strange and unforgiving world, blatantly destroyed right in front of him. He couldn't even believe his eyes, yes, he was there, and he absolutely knows that of course, Black Lotus wasn't directly involved in that fight yet, it was all her presence that drew everything towards them, endangering everyone in her Legion.

He couldn't forgive her, no. Not even if she uninstalled Brain Burst herself, she can't bring back his one and only parent, and no amount of verbal apology could weigh itself against her existence. No. Nothing will ever equate closely to it, ever. That girl, in her thirst for power, can was always ready to sacrifice everything she had, friends, comrades, everything, in exchange for her goals.

He finds it despicable.

Unforgivable.

He clenched his fists hard, making his palms white as he passed through the school gates, still running, sweat dripping down his temples. Kenneth rushed over to the main entrance and quickly changed into his indoor shoes before slowing down to head to the school lounge where Kuroyukihime always spent her early mornings, his eyes burned with anger and hatred that he couldn't even wait until school was over.

Arriving at the lounge, Kenneth became more aware of his surroundings; there were a few students here and there, so it can't be called crowded, them being most likely part of higher classes and probably ranked high within this school's system yet, in the middle of it all was something, something albeit different, a presence that no one around could mimic, much less duplicate.

It was Kuroyukihime.

She sat elegantly in a wooden table in the far corner of the place, her long black hair draped her slim figure, her uniform -composed of a dark blue blazer with an olive green skirt along with the black thigh-high socks she wore along with a pair of brown loafers accentuated her simple, yet sharp persona. Kuroyukihime just sat there with her eyes closed, blowing her sweet breath to cool the contents of the tea cup she was holding close to her pink lips.

In comparison to her, Kenneth looked down on himself, intimidated by the sight, he checked what state he was in. His dark black hair which he wore a little bit longer than the usual cut the school allowed was rather on the bed-hair side, his clothes, the uniform of Umesato Middle School, which composed of a light blue top coat, was a mess, obviously pulled out violently from his dresser, and the white undershirt he wore was tucked out of his light blue pants.

As he scrutinized himself and began to hate himself for rushing over, he felt Kuroyukihime's pair of copper colored eyes gazing upon him, it's strong presence sent shivers along Kenneth's spine. That was the gaze of one of the Pure Colored King, the Legion Master, of Nega Nebulas, Black Lotus. He was never intimidated like this before and he felt his strength and resolve beginning to betray him.

With a deep breath, he started making his way over to where she was seated, earning the gazes of almost everyone in the vicinity, their eyes yet again scanned his unfamiliar self from head to toe, each and every inch of himself closely watched. As he went by, he could even hear whispers, those words lightly muttered around. His heart wavered, he doesn't belong in this world, and neither does he want to. He quickened his pace to escape the daunting stares.

Reaching the table, Kenneth stood by the side, returning back the gaze Kuroyukihime gave her, her copper eyes met with his jet-black eyes, and one could feel sparks coming out of it, brimming with opposing auras. They kept staring back at each other before finally, Kenneth strengthened his resolved and broke the ice. "Tell me what happened, from start to finish. I want to know everything." He said, steely eyes directed at the intimidating figure of the Black King.

Taking time to finish sipping what seems to be coffee on her cup, Kuroyukihime winkled her eyes twice before lightly opening her lips. "I believe I told you to wait until school is over." She replied to Kenneth, her head now faced in the opposite direction, on the window beside her. "Do not rush things, nothing good will come out of it." She added in a bored tone as she placed one hand under her chin to support it as she leaned back on her chair.

Hearing her remark and sensing her uninterested chagrin, Kenneth became infuriated, so much that he was actually clenching his right hand so hard that the skin went pale yet after about two seconds, he calmed down, his breathing started to be deeper and his tensed facial muscles became relaxed. "I need to know it now. I can't take it off my mind, and I can't wait until this afternoon. Please, tell me everything." Swallowing his pride, he threw a light bow towards her, furtherly catching the attention of the people around.

Although his pride sometimes was higher than Mount Everest, this time, Kenneth chose to suck it up and bow, a sign that he really cared for his sister, and Kuroyukihime felt that. At that point, she knew that he is a a genuinely good person, as he knew when to admit losses. But, she just doesn't know how to explain it as she herself had really no idea, just a vague vantage about the screw up that happened yesterday.

"Sit down." Kuroyukihime softly said as she gestured towards the empty seat across her while she gently placed the white porcelain cup, now empty back into it's saucer which rested on the table. She then reached for her bag which was resting on the legs of the chair beside her on the ground, opening it and pulling out an XSB Cable. "...Here, plug it into your Neuro Linker." She added as she handed the other end of the cable after plugging her own side on the slim type black coloredNeuro Linker that wrapped around her fragile looking neck.

Surprised, Kenneth's eyes widened as he stared at the XSB Cable that was handed to him, he was a hundred percent sure that Kuroyukihime offered him a Direct Connection. Was that information that sensitive to require this type of secured connection? His mind asked him as he slowly extended his hand to grab the cable, his eyes shied away from her as he plugged his cable's share into the same colored Neuro Linker wrapped around his own neck.

After flicking his finger on the System Notification window that popped up to acknowledge the connection, his vision grew a little bit shady and just by imagining thoughts, it was directly transmitted to Kuroyukihime's brain, Brain Talk as they put it.

"Is this really necessary?" Kenneth asked as he prepped his arms on the chair's armrest after placing his bag down on the floor, noticing Kuroyukihime's long and slender legs which were encased in opaque stockings while he stooped a little bit down to do so, blushing, he shook his head and resumed his defensive stance facing the Black King.

"Umu. This is so that we escape whoever might be 'peeking' on us or listening in. I don't want any further casualties." Came her reply, her lips didn't moved as well thanks to the Thought Transfer, her hands clasped together and placed in front of her on the table. "Before anything else, I would like to tell you something..." She continued, not moving an inch, gaze still fixated on to Kenneth.

"What is it? I just hope you aren't beating around the bush because I just want answers." Kenneth's harsh reply came as he furrowed his brow, both hands gripping the edge of the armrest.

Closing her eyes slowly once more, Kuroyukihime tilted her head slightly down before Kenneth heard her voice again, directly fed from her Neuro Linker to the cable and in to his own Neuro Linker. "Don't worry, I am not wasting your time as my time is valuable as well..." Kuroyukihime replied sharply despite her relaxed posture. "...Your sister, Chloe Kusanagi a.k.a Uranium Scourge has been terminated from the game."

Termination from the game. Those words rang heavy against his already burdened heart and mind. That means about two things. One is that his sister lost all her points, automatically uninstalling the Brain Burst program or, second, she herself desired it and by her own will, uninstalled Brain Burst herself.

But it can't be neither one of those, Kenneth was pretty darn sure about it. She just can't loose all her points in one go, and in that very short duration, as far as he remembered, she had about 700 or so Burst Point so the enemy needed to win roughly around 500 times to drain all her remaining points, it was just absurd. As for the second possibility, it was even more absurd as she just is not that type of person, the one to give up that easily, besides, it was just a short time that she gave up her single one-time right to be a parent, making Kenneth her child.

What seemed like an eternity of thought processing was just a matter of seconds, Kenneth then began to pour out. "Terminated... You mean, she lost the Brain Burst program, never to return again right?" He hung his head between his shoulder, realizing his failure at being his sister's protector, even after he swore to her upon his honor, she still lost, Kenneth felt like he betrayed not only himself but his sister as well due to his own powerlessness.

"Unfortunately, yes..." Kuroyukihime lowered her voice as if she lost a dear comrade. "...While it makes me sad to hear that news, we have to press on, we have to re-establish the Legion so as none of this farce will ever happen again." She added calmly yet delivered with a confident tone.

At those words, Kenneth frowned. Press on? Re-establish the Legion? It sounded to him as if she didn't care at all about what happened, and she didn't even explained it to him. Was she planning on keeping it? His heart raced, blood pumped more intensely through his veins, and anger started rising up to his temples again.

"I believe you're forgetting something, forget the Legion, forget everything. I first need to affirm what happened to my sister!" Raising his voice just by using his thoughts, Kenneth delivered a seemingly angry demeanor through the Direct Connection.

This time, it was Kuroyukihime who hanged her head between her shoulders, the sudden drooping like action was a little bit obvious as if she was apologizing, the crowd started throwing weird glances as a result. "It... Might be my fault. You already know about what happened about two years ago right? How I came to be this pitiful, and how I came into hiding..." She said, her voice trailing off softly, like a gently flying swallow tailed butterfly. "...With those circumstances, all the other Pure Colored Kings might be hunting me around, specially since the Legion is in tatters right now, maybe they were starting the conquest of this are, Suginami, starting with the known members of Nega Nebulas..." She continued.

"But then you should've atleast told us! We could have at least done something to prevent this! Why?" Kenneth's reply was loud, almost shouting yet his figure was still calm. "I... If I was there then..."

Kuroyukihime cut him off, this time she had opened her eyes and once again those copper colored irises bore it's gaze upon him. "She didn't want you to be there." She said strongly, her thought carried through the connection. "She made it so that the two of you, you and that girl Miya was out of that area when it happened. She sacrificed herself for the two of you. That is the reality." She continued strongly, as if she was scolding Kenneth who seemed to be lost in thought, drowned in whatever tide was rising inside his heart.

Silence.

Kenneth couldn't believe what he just heard. His sister sacrificed herself for them? When he was the one who's supposed to be the sacrificial lamb for her? Absurd, it was just absurd.

His mind continued to reject that idea, he can't accept it, no. Why does it have to be that way? He refused to accept it, he demanded more.

"But even so! It is still your fault that she was the one targeted! Not just that, she even seems to forget all about Brain Burst! How do you explain it!" His emotions roared over the Direct Connectivity, the virtual exchange of words seemed to strain the network itself as his thought raged on.

"It wasn't by accident. Chloe neither lost all her points nor uninstalled Brain Burst on her own..." The girl with the dark colored hair replied, his tone as well as her physical composition showed seriousness. "...It was forcefully uninstalled using illegal methods, possibly by the yellow guys you encountered last night. I don't know how they did it, but the guys from the Yellow Legion are all known for their indirect means of fighting along with their deceptionary tactics, so I'm pretty sure it was either a hack or a system glitch."

"But... Even so..." Kenneth tried doing his best to hold back yet, he was on the verge of tears. He just couldn't believe it that eventually, the fault lies on him for not being able to protect her, just like a dumb twist of fate, she was the one who protected him.

No, this shouldn't happen. No. Not when he swore to himself, not when he finally found a clear goal to strive for...

Just when everything was going according to plan... Everything gets screwed.

"Kuroyukihime-sempai..." Kenneth slowly stood up, stretching the one-meter cable to it's limits, as her senior's eyes trained on him. "...Please forgive me."

"BURST LINK!"

* * *

As the world started to twist, replacing the vivid colors of life with the monotone blue, the trademark hues of the Accelerated World, Haruyuki Arita was about three seconds late as he tried to move inside the lounge himself after seeing the Direct Connection established by his parent, Kuroyukihime to the 'rouge' Burst Linker, as she told him, Kenneth Kusanagi, before being trapped frozen by the accelerated time's grip.

Kuroyukihime actually warned him about Kenneth, telling him that he's not interested in working with the Black Legion and he was more of a follower of his sister, Chloe Kusanagi. She told him to be extra careful when dealing with him yet, at that point, Haru did not believed what he heard, he thought that he is someone who's quickly adapted to the cruel world of Brain Burst, and possibly someone to look up to.

Yet yesterday, his instincts and people skill failed him miserably.

As the blue light enveloped his body, his small pink pig Global Net avatar was ejected out of his physical body, bouncing a couple of times on the ground before finally standing up on his two short legs. Quickly, his hand glided with speed and dexterity as he pulled up the Brain Burst icon on the dock on the upper portion of his Neuro Linker desktop menu to engage Kenneth in a duel, before he could challenge Kuroyukihime but...

A human like hand with pale skin stopped his small arms mid air before he could pull up the icon, and looking behind him, he saw another Global Net avatar, a human type avatar which sported long silver hair, wide-rimmed glasses and the most distinctive feature of it was the black and white Gothic French maid outfit it donned, it's frilly apron swaying and the short skirt fluttered as she moved.

Haru was taken aback for a couple of seconds before finding the courage to speak up, comedic sweat beads appearing on his forehead. "Let me go! I need to duel Kenneth before... Mmpphh mmpphh!"

The maid's hand covered his mouth... Or nose or whatever that place is called where his voice comes out before he could finish his sentence, and this time, the maid, with her relaxed and smiling features looked into Haru's innocent looking pig face before speaking up, eyes closed in a happy expression. "Please do not interrupt my master, he needs to settle things with her, okay?" With a wink, she whispered to Haru.

"Mmpphh mmpphh mmmpphh!" The little pink pig wiggled and turned, trying to free himself from being manhandled by this unknown avatar, yet as his own avatar was small and weak, it didn't do any good, his feet dangled mid air and all his arms could reach was a couple of centimeters short of the Brain Burst icon.

"If you're really itching for a fight, then let me be the one to fight you, cute little piggy?" The maid continued to smile in spite of the creepy aura she was radiating, and it was scaring Haru. She then held up her left hand, while the right was still holding Haru silent, her slender fingers glided over her own desktop and clicking on her own Brain Burst icon, both she and Haru's vision were filled with flames, sounds of cogs turning, and a four paneled windows showing the names of the Burst Linkers in the immediate area, where Black Lotus, Noir Eraser, Silver Crow and lastly, her own name, Mercuric Void was displayed.

After a few seconds, she clicked both her own name, Mercuric Void followed by Haru's name, Silver Crow before choosing Duel.

After the action, both of their visions were saturated by light, their bodies gradually being enveloped by gear-like machinery, and upon emergence, they were in their respective Duel Avatars, with Mercuric Void the shape of a slender humanoid with a reddish weird slit for her eyes set on a semi robotic looking female body which was of a dark silver color, strands of similarly colored 'hair' fluttered behind her, while Silver Crow had it's usual appearance of a generally robotic feel, with larger than usual gauntlets and shin guards, with it's trademark green full faced shiny helmet.

After confirming the appearance of their respective HP, Special Attack Gauge and Duel Avatar Name on their screens, both of them saw the flame saturated DUEL words in front of them.

Both fighters assumed their stances, and the fight began, the scenery around them being the Dark Overlord Castle, their avatars in stark contrast against the dark murky feel of the place.

In a heartbeat, both of them charged at each other at exactly the same time.

* * *

Both of them ejected out of their physical bodies and into their Global Net avatars, their alternate egos stood in front of each other, Kuroyukihime donning a black butterfly themed costume, it's long skirt tumbled down well to her ankles and large swallowtail wings were attached to her back, while Kenneth's was a black trench coat wearing guy with a wide-brimmed hat tilted downwards which covered his face completely under the shadows.

"So what are you planning to do, Noir Eraser, Burst Linker of the former Nega Nebulas Uranium Scourge?" Kuroyukihime said as she twirled her frilly black parasol around before pointing it towards Kenneth. "Are you ready to challenge me? While it is true that Brain Burst relies more on an individual's own mental speed, with me being a Level 9 and you being a Level 4 still means a lot you know?" She sternly said, her eyes were the eyes that told no jokes.

His whole body was trembling, yet he had to keep his act up, he can't loose his resolve here, not now. "I... Will bring you down, Black Lotus... This... Will be my revenge." Kenneth said in a lower toned voice, his fingers went over his own Brain Burst icon, clicking it, it opened a four paneled window which displayed Noir Eraser and Black Lotus... and below it was a status indicator that said Silver Crow vs. Mercuric Void Duel In Progress.

Miya. Thank you. You are the only one I have at this point. The only comrade I can trust in this sea of treachery, lies, betrayal and deceit.

Kenneth pressed on his name, Noir Eraser before placing his finger over Black Lotus, if he was backing down from this, this would be his last chance. But no, he will not back down, not after everything, he was at the point of no return. After pressing down on the part where it said Duel, they were both encircled by gears, gradually transforming their Global Net avatars into their respective Duel Avatars.

Noir Eraser donned his mechanical looking black Dragoon armor, inlaid with red on it's joints, his face covered safely by a dragon head like helmet, tattered red cloth fluttered behind him and his hands grasped his long jet-black spear, 'Schwarzer Flugeln'.

In front of him was a similarly looking female mechanical avatar, her body totally saturated with black, with slight traces of purple on the joints. Her faceplate was triangular in shape with glowing purplish eyes behind them, her limbs, or what's supposed to be her limbs were absent, and in it's place were fearsome looking long blades, and her feet was hovering several inches above the ground. This is the Black Legion's Pure Colored King, the Black King of Nega Nebulas, Black Lotus, the Accelerated World's most wanted traitor.

And he is standing on the opposite ground as her.

The word DUEL appeared in the middle of their own screen which also displayed their names and gauges, as well as the remaining time which was 1800. The backdrop behind them was eerily familiar, the End of Century stage.

The fight was on.

There was no turning back.

"Are you really sure about this, Kenneth? The Burst Linkers who have fought me all suffered an extensively great deal of damage, cut limbs, decapitated heads. Also, may I remind you of the pain levels felt with this game. Are you really, really sure that you want to fight me?" Kuroyukihime, with her long bladed right arm pointed towards Kenneth said as she gave him a window of retreat amidst this supposedly no turning back scenario.

His head was facing downwards, his eyes were closed. He was contemplating on everything. He won't loose, no, he can't. There is no room for error, and he only gets one shot. Just one shot at this, now or never, live or let die.

Noir Eraser's dragon helm covered head shot up, spear at the ready. "This is a point of no return for me, sempai. Although, I appreciate your kind offer, I am fighting for what I believe is right, and I have a duty to uphold, and a pride to keep in check. Thank you but, I will defeat you." Kenneth calmly said beneath the exterior of his avatar, coolly pouring out whatever his heart told him to do so.

"I see. Well then, as the Legion Master of the Black Legion, Nega Nebulas, I shall fight you with everything I've got. Brace yourself, Noir Eraser!" Kuroyukihime roared behind her avatar as well, her voice even though it was female sounding, carried a truckload of confidence, conviction and resolve to rival Kenneth's, her unwavering courage to fight for her own ideals were on par with his beliefs and he liked it.

A clash of conflicting ideas.

Both fighters displayed curled up lips showing satisfaction as their blades sparked off as they traded blows, parrying rapid strikes one after the other, showering the dusty post-apocalyptic battlefield with bright stardust, as the intense sound they emitted drowned the erratic noise the machinery around them produced, both of their jet-black colored mechanical bodies waltzed as they danced to a deadly rhythm.

"You're pretty good, Noir Eraser, I can at least praise you this much, you growing this adept at this game at such a short time... Magnificent! Truly magnificent!" Kuroyukihime said as she dashed forwards toward Kenneth, her two sword arms crossed in front of her, her pitch-black avatar glided at an amazing speed, her back leaving trails of purple exhaust. "Now, show me how much more you can do, child of Uranium Scourge!"

Twirling his spear over his head before swinging it down, spearhead pointed forwards against the rushing Duel Avatar. "Hahahaha, I haven't shown anything yet!" Kenneth shouted back, even if he was lying. He was already gasping for breath from that short exchange, as her agility, dexterity and strength were on levels far beyond what he imagined, and just even parrying the blows coming from both her sword hands were already a chore, much more if she tried adding the blades from her feet. Just then, Kenneth assumed a stance where his spear was held directly parallel against his body, his legs were spread far and his arms grasped the spear widely. "Come, let's settle this once and for all, Black Lotus!" He roared as he sped off as well, activating the thrusters behind him, the explosive force propelled him about thrice his normal speed, the afterimage of the exhaust displayed a vibrant six-part archangel-like wings on his back.

The vast, sunless expanse of the desolated End of Century stage was littered with ruined buildings, dusty streets and a sunless horizon was set as it's backdrop, the low altitude clouds seemed to radiate in a yellow color. On one building's rooftop penthouse, half of it was blasted open, providing cover for a multitude of Duel Avatars that were on Spectator Mode, meaning they are under the System's protection and won't suffer any damage inside the field as long as they don't move away from the Safe Point. Though, the area was almost empty, and only two or probably three Duel Avatars were there, one was prominently colored Blue, a pair of curved katanas hung side by side on his waist, the second was a mix of Yellow and Red, it's huge torso area screamed that it was built like a tank.

Lastly, the third avatar was of a metal decree, it's body was more or less looking like a bright silverly color, but at the same time, it looks as if it was merely cloth which was draped over the avatar's body itself. It's head was so plain looking that it didn't even have noticeable features such as eyes, mouth or whatsoever, it was just plain, mirror like silver. What's intimidating is the weapon it held over it's shoulder, a fearsome looking scythe, it's body looks as if it was a human spinal column while the blade itself was huge and it mirrored it's surroundings.

Out of the three, the metal looking one was the one who paid much attention to the fight, his head closely followed both fighters as they blitzed through the field, wrecking stuff everywhere as he held his monstrous looking scythe resting on his shoulder, his silvery cape flowing gently with the wind.

Black Lotus and Noir Eraser continued to exchange blows in a furious speed, with Kenneth being barely able to keep up, as shown clearly by his HP gauge which was slowly chipping down. "What's wrong, Noir Eraser? Show me your conviction!" Kuroyukihime screamed as she performed a back flip, and in the middle of it, while her feet was directly in front of Kenneth, she extended both blades, trying to slice the Dragoon in front of her.

Barely reacting to it because he just blocked a four string hit combo by Kuroyukihime, his spear swung to his sides to parry the last hit, and now as his front guard was open, her foot blades bore down on him, which hit him barely, just barely because he was able to weave dodge backwards, using his thruster's propulsion to burst out at the last millisecond.

Landing a few meters away, he planted his left hand to the ground as his legs were spread far apart, whilst his spear was held by his right, wielded perpendicularly behind him. In the place where he got slashed, his chest armor had a slightly deep gash where a faint red liquid started to pour down, his position, making it flow freely faster as his real life senses flamed up with pain, his nerve sensors sent signals over from the virtual world to his real flesh, transferring the searing flames of pain over to the real world. "Haa... Haa... Don't think... You've won yet..." He then straightened his body and stuck his spear into the ground. "Passive Skill, Blackest Sanctum" After his chant, a huge flow of miasma started seeping out of the crevices of his armor, spilling to the ground, saturating the dusty concrete with a dark pool of black matter.

Since she was just about four or five meters away from Kenneth, Kuroyukihime was caught smack dab in the middle of the bounded field, her avatar started to weigh probably twice as much and she could feel sweat starting to build up on her real life body as her avatar was forced to one knee from the effects of the field and she felt as if her armor was degraded as the miasma crawled slowly all over her. "Excellent, this is a really nice skill to have specially against me... But..." Panting heavily, Kuroyukihime smirked as she raised her swords with all her might.

A few seconds later, by sheer force of will, Black Lotus dashed off, although in a significantly slower speed, her swords at the ready.

Without giving her a window of opportunity, Kenneth activated his thrusters yet again, his dark alter ego dashed in a zigzag manner, avoiding Kuroyukihime's sword strikes, elegantly weaving left, right, back and forwards to do so, thrusting his spear into the fragile looking avatar of the Black King, and although she managed to dodge the blows in a majority, some hits still landed and was clearly shown by a slight decrease in her HP gauge.

Due to her speed drastically decreased, Kuroyukihime had an extreme problem in landing hits against Kenneth, he had trouble landing them as well as if they do hit, it damages really low, giving him the upper hand over this, and if this continues, he would prevail. Kuroyukihime kept attacking, but focused on defense this time, letting her Special Attack Gauge to charge.

Black Lotus and Noir Eraser continued to dance their deadly tango, with the sounds of clashing blades providing them a lonely aria in the middle of the desolated plane.

* * *

The mass of silvery mercury she conjured up violently started to fizzle and as she clasped her hands together, it got sandwiched and it flew freely out of her palms, but the laws of gravity was defied and it fell... Upwards. No, a more appropriate term would be it started to materialize into a slender matter that stretched a couple of inches upwards. After a few seconds, it bore a striking resemblance to a rapier, the long and thin pointed blade was long and the guard covered her right hand.

After watching the liquid take form, Silver Crow couldn't help but stare in blank amazement, his green shiny full faced helmet seemed to bore and carry the reaction. "Amazing..." he muttered to himself but he quickly shook his head as he took up his fighting stance. "There's no time to be amazed!" He shouted at the same time as he dashed forward, his slim body granting him superb mobility, something he doesn't have in real life.

Assuming a fencing like stance, Mercuric Void pointed the sharp rapier towards the rushing Silver Crow as she took in a deep breath. A few milliseconds later, she exhaled as she dashed off to meet the incoming attack, her slender figure greatly reducing the wind resistance which in turn, granted her good mobility as well. It was a good match she thought, as they were close to being evenly matched yet...

As she predicted, Silver Crow threw a right straight against her, and as she calculated, after she dodges the blow, he will most likely be thrown off balance from all the extra added force he usually places behind his punches. Mercuric Void ducked out of harm's way, much to Silver Crow's surprise, and at that split second, the rapier flashed, seemingly gleaming white before thundering down towards his sides, it was fast, too fast and the green faced avatar didn't had the luxury of time to react, and he was stabbed cleanly.

In only lasted about two or three seconds, as after Mercuric Void confirmed the hit, she retracted the blade before backtracking her steps in one fluid gliding motion, as she distanced herself, she swung the rapier it a diagonal motion beside her, splattering the ground with silvery liquid as a smirk formed in her lips.

His sides were burning in pain, it was like he got skewered by a barbecue stick, he screamed as he held the portion where he got stabbed, silvery liquid steadily pouring out of it. He was surprised at the sudden attack that he wasn't able to react quickly. Haru threw a fit glance at his opponent which was a few meters away from him, the darker shade of silver her armor was dyed gave it a special menacing general feel to it.

"Let's go, Silver Crow, you can do more than this, right?" Miya said as she lowered her rapier for a moment as she gestured a 'come over here' motion with her left hand, trying to provoke the bright silver colored warrior. "I need to stall him as long as possible for Kenneth to finish his fight..." She said to herself as she resumed her fighting stance, rapier up and ready in rigid attention.

Still holding his bleeding torso, Haru gritted his teeth as he stood straight up, determined to fight. He can't lose to this Duel Avatar, no, not at this moment, and certainly not in front of his parent Kuroyukihime. With that conviction, he mustered all his strength to carry on, his HP hasn't decreased that much anyway and if he can find an opening, he could pull this through. Using his agile body yet again, he dashed towards /Mercuric Void/ in a straight line, his head brewing up a new plan.

Seeing the same forward dash movement from her opponent, Miya released a deep sigh from her real mouth, thinking her opponent is still a newbie at this game. As he closed in, she took a few steps forward before dissolving the rapier she had in hand, the mercury briefly returning back to it's natural liquid form before fizzing and taking on a new form, this time a larger sword, possibly a Claymore, took shape and Miya wielded it in both hands as she swung it down with ample force towards Haru.

Seeing the transition of the pointed rapier to the broad bladed Claymore, Haru was taken aback by the sudden development yet again, it was something he didn't really expected since he already predicted the usual hit and run tactics made by rapier users in the games he played before and therefore, he already anticipated what he will do to counter her moves but yet... "Auugghh!" His body met the broad bladed weapon full force, even if was able to cross both of his arms in front of him, the knock back effect of it was too much and he was flung backwards, crashing and burning on the ground as he tumbled, his Neuro Linker ever ready, sending constant pain signals to his real life body which he felt like flames devouring him from all sides.

And as if that wasn't enough, Miya decided to draw the line to separate the prey and the predator. Training her eyes over where he lay wasted, she started jogging towards him as she again melted the Claymore back into it's liquid mercury form before taking equal halves of the bubbling mass on both hands, this time reproducing two familiar shapes, quite possibly Miya's own weapons of choice...

His eyes spun around as he landed flat on the ground facing up, his armor was burned out and his real life body reeked with pain. He couldn't keep up with it anymore, he doesn't have enough experience to cope up... He began to realize his own powerlessness against his adversary... And to think his opponent is just a girl probably on the same year as him... Haru felt humiliated, whatever small self-esteem he had, and whatever little fragments of pride he kept inside his heart was totally crushed.

He was already a loser at real life, he didn't had outstanding grades, he doesn't have many friends, he doesn't have a proper physique, everything. It was like he was sleeping when God decided to shower humankind with blessings. All he had left was his excellence in games, his mastery of the virtual realm. He always excelled better than others with regards to gaming, he was even better at it than Chiyuri and Taku, and it boosted up his self-confidence yet, this girl... Is now crushing him this easily, even if he trained so hard, even if he followed Kuroyukihime's guidance...

He still lost. His real life self had tears brimming on the corner of his wide eyes.

Haru's eyes caught a glimpse of the incoming dark silver avatar, it's arms spread wide, and it was wielding something at both hands, and if his eyes didn't betrayed him, those look like pistols. Weird, he thought. It was his first time encountering a /Duel Avatar/ wielding multiple weapons of different classes, as far as he saw, she wielded blades and now a projectile weapon. It was pretty cool in comparison to him who doesn't even have a proper EX Skill, and his guesses told him he's going to be stuck with the /Head Butt/ for a long, long time.

Haru closed his eyes, resigning from the fight, waiting for judgment to come.

Seconds passed by and nothing happened. He just felt a strong gust of wind near him. Haru decided to open his eyes, and much to his surprise, Mercuric Void was standing there, both pistols aimed towards his head, her trigger fingers held the trigger closely. "What more do you want? End this now! I lost! I always lose!" Haru screamed in frustration, his eyes now reddened by the accumulating tears. "I will never win! I am a piece of trash!" He added as he pounded on the ground where he lie.

Standing above Silver Crow, Miya's brows furrowed as she saw her opponent not moving and just accepting defeat, her fingers clutched the pistols which were locked and loaded, yet she still refused to fire. The words Haru spoke of rang a deep tone inside her head. 'I will never win! I am a piece of trash!'. He said, thinking that he is no good just because he lost once. Miya knows how it feels to be the inferior person in a fight, just as she felt when she dueled with Kenneth. She felt hopeless at first, yet through her unyielding conviction, she proved it wrong, and even if she still lost in the end, she had no regrets.

"Do you really think that losing once or twice makes you trash?" Miya shouted towards Haru, her voice filled with disgust at his behavior. "Losing is part of each and every game! We all lose at some point! We all started somewhere don't forget it, even your parent, Black Lotus may have lost a few battles before when she was just starting so it's nothing to be ashamed of!" She continued, kneeling down beside Haru as she pressed one pistol into the temple of his Duel Avatar's head.

"If you lose, you learn something from it! You don't dwell on it forever and you find ways to win the next fight! You don't just mope around it, life doesn't end with one fight and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" She brought her face closer to his face, they could even feel the hot breath of each other at this distance. "You disgust me, Silver Crow. You are nothing but a weak crybaby who's afraid to lose. You are nothing, compared to Kenneth..."

His mind fluttered amongst the clouds from what he heard, her logic defied his', and he felt as if he was wrong, his ideals were crushed and his pride was broken. Deep inside, Haru knew she was right yet, he just couldn't betray Kuroyukihime's high expectations of him, no. He is far too weak to live up to it, and he just... Can't do it, not now. He felt small, dejected, a failure.

"END IT!" Haru screamed loudly in retort, his avatar's forehead almost touching Mercuric Void's own forehead.

"In the end, you still make me sick. Goodbye, sucker."

A loud bang resonated throughout the dark expanse of the Dark Overlord Castle.

* * *

The fight continued to rage on, the two jet-black avatars clashed their blades in a frenzy, worthy of being called an epic showdown.

Noir Eraser, in spite activating his Passive Skill Blackest Sanctum which kept Black Lotus' superb mobility, attack and defense in check, he still was about two steps behind her, her experience being pitted into the fight wherein Kenneth couldn't keep up. His legs were beginning to feel weaker as the seconds drew closer, his Special Attack Gauge constantly draining bit by bit because of the upkeep cost of his bounded field, that's the main reason why he can't use too many of the moves in his arsenal.

On the other hand, Black Lotus also struggled up to some degree as her movement was severely hampered, and she was fighting using her higher numerical statistics against Noir Eraser, she even thought that if they were on the same levels, she would probably lose pretty quickly because his abilities were really unique and were designed to keep his opponents at bay to give him the upper hand. Her throat constricted a couple of times before charging towards Noir Eraser once more, double checking her Special Attack Gauge which she meant to use to purge the cursed field she was on.

Kenneth was running out of time and strength, and if wanted to win this one, he had to act quickly, he thought. But how? How would he subdue someone who, in spite of being afflicted with the debuff of his field could still keep up with him? Someone who has a numerical superiority against him? He was pressed for an answer, and he didn't have that much time left, he checked time remaining for their duel, which read 130 more seconds.

Erasing all the doubts he had in his heart and brandishing his unwavering resolve to avenge his sister, Kenneth; /Noir Eraser/ screamed a battle cry before madly dashing his way forward, his spear held low, almost scratching the ground, sending little sparks over that trailed behind him, his thrusters activated, increasing his speed.

The two Burst Linkers met in the middle of the empty expanse, both of them trailing stardust behind them and they looked like careening comets from a distance, which after a few seconds, they met with an explosion, sending off shock waves that rattled the buildings and kicking up the dust which further blurred the already hazy visuals.

"Disintegrate into nothingness! Hundred Spears!" Kenneth shouted to activate his skill, every spear thrust he did accelerated until it created a mirage like image of a hundred thrusts, and it was met by Black Lotus head on, her sword arms doing their best to fend off the thrusts, which still landed every now and then, causing her HP gauge to drop bit by bit until it reached halfway through, which haven't happened in quite some time now.

Kuroyukihime's lips were tightened but a small smirk was still there.

If his thrusts weren't enough, he decided to corrupt her armor. "Split and take form! Splintered Wings!" In a blink of an eye, his spear broke down, transforming into an eight-part segmented chained spear, which he hurled towards Black Lotus like an anchor tossed into the sea, but before it hit... "A curse to last forever! Heart Under Blade!" the chained spear suddenly became engulfed into a jet-black aura, pulsating flame like darkness covered the entire length of it.

Her eyes widened as she tried to parry the spearhead, which she succeeded at yet, the spear, seemingly with a will of it's own veered out of the way and started wounding up around her and in an instant, she was bounded by the chains, totally ceasing her movements and inflicting massive torrents of pain on her small framed physical body, she couldn't help but scream in agony.

Seeing that his skill combo somehow worked despite the risks involved rewarded Kenneth with a hearty laugh as he slowly walked towards the screaming Kuroyukihime, hands on his spear, while she was on her knees, thrashing about and lashing out sharp wails of pain and agony. "Hahahahahahahhaha! I finally got you to perch on my flowers, Black Lotus, finally you grace me with your beauty. Hahahahaha!" Kenneth continued to laugh maniacally, his voice towering over the loud clutter of the battlefield.

He inched closer and closer to Black Lotus until he was just a couple of inches away. Suddenly, he kicked the black and purple avatar's sides repeatedly while it was still bound by the chains and tormented by the flames which forced her to roll over, writhing in pain on the ground, her screams now turned into wails, she could even feel tears streaming down her cheeks.

He towered over the grounded Black King, her authority seemingly tarnished by this uncouth behavior as Kenneth continued to kick and stomp her over and over, her jet-black armor becoming smithereens little by little as it got dirtied by the dust on the ground. "NoW feEL wHaT mY sisTeR feLt, yOu mOnsTer! YoU shaLL pAy fOr yOur sIns! HahAhAhahHAHAhahHA!" Kenneth grumbled, his voice rising and lowering it's pitch alternately as he started to add in punches to /Black Lotus'/ faceplate, the purple colored 'eyes' she has were now almost turned into slits.

She was now silent, the agonizing screams she had earlier left her, she seemed exhausted and her HP was down to the last one fourth.

"How does it feel, Kuroyukihime... sempai?" Kenneth said as he leered his face closer to the dusty faceplate of his enemy. "Do you feel scared? Do you feel hopeless?" He then snapped back and sent another fist thundering down towards the torso section of Black Lotus before leering back in. He was enjoying this. He was having fun, and it seems that he was only using his sister's predicament as an excuse to do this.

"Hahahahhahaha. You know, the first time I met you I was... Really, really attracted to you." Changing his tone of voice to a more serious and formal sound, he took a step back yet he still continued to restrain Black Lotus. "I was... Let's say, infatuated... But..." Snapping back, he crashed another sharp kick towards the side of Black Lotus' head, her head snapping back violently. "...You chose that person... THAT PERSON OVER ME!" He roared before unleashing a series of quick kicks again, targeting her sides.

A sudden blue flare erupted in her eyes, and she knew it was time. Kuroyukihime smiled as she felt a warm liquid pouring out of her lips.

"Let me tell you this... Haru... Haru... He is... Ten times better than you!" She suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, surprising Kenneth. She then wobbled her feet, struggling to get into a sitting position before letting her hover propulsion system to kick in even if she was still constricted by the chain and seemingly engulfed in black flame. She needed to endure this for only a short while more.

As the black and purple shadow loomed before him as it slowly regained composure, Kenneth took more steps backwards, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. How can sheer force outdo his techniques? Is this even legal? Or is this what they call the 'will' to survive? Could it be the one the fuels her desire to fight on, the instinct to win? Kenneth grasped his spear tightly beside him, retracting it, releasing the smoking Black Lotus with his black aura still swirling and pulsating around him, blanketing him in a mantle of darkness.

He is running out of time, he glanced up his screen, confirming 65 on the remaining time, and his HP is a few notches below what her HP level is, and at this rate, he is going to lose by default because of a Time Over decision. If he wanted to finish this up, this is the chance, and he needs to deliver it swiftly as the damage done by the Heart Under Blade is close to none as it's main purpose is just to immobilize the enemy.

One final clash, both Burst Linkers knew it.

Kenneth took a deep breath, commanding his Duel Avatar Noir Eraser into a stance with his left hand extended forwards while his right still held his spear, Schwarzer Flugeln behind him, his feet spread apart and the thrusters on his back staring to heat up, faint images of a six-part archangel wing starting to form behind him giving him an illusion of a winged warrior. He was poised for the kill.

On the opposite side, Kuroyukihime swung her sword limbs a little bit, from her right arm to her left, followed by her right leg to her left before standing straight up, her hovering system propelling her a couple of inches above the ground to compensate her lack of limbs to walk. Her sword arms dangled by her sides and the verniers behind her started shining purple, and beneath her similarly colored faceplate were slanted purple eyes which shone distinctly. As the /Legion Master/, her pride was at stake here and she needs to come out on top. She was determined to crush his dreams.

The dust settled, the sky was sunless and the place was all too quiet.

In an instant, it was shattered.

Akin to blazing meteors, the two Burst Linkers, Noir Eraser and Black Lotus descended upon each other, the howls of their armor sang the lament of destruction, leaving a trail of pandemonium as they go, the entire vast expanse of the battlefield erupted in a violent flash of black, purple and red, illuminating the dark halls, temporarily masking the deathly presence that lingered around and about.

"Death By..."

"Soul..."

"...PIERCING!" "...EATER!"

Black Lotus thrusted her right sword arm forward, supported by her left, the purple particles of light emanating from it violently shook, it's intense vibration rattled the very earth she was on before exploding outwards, like being shot right out of her hand, the mass of purple aura twisted and roared as it ravaged the space between her and her opponent, scourging the ground as it howled along it's projected path.

Noir Eraser relaxed his body before breathing in deeply, twisting his waist around as he spun around, his spear in his right hand, held more like a javelin this time. A couple of milliseconds later, it's entire body increased almost five times in size, it's body and spearhead engulfed in a fiery hellish black flame, it's burning aura igniting the field he was on, searing the very ground he was on. And after one more deep breath, Kenneth threw his spear as hard as he could, aimed towards Kuroyukihime's heart.

The flaming black spear met the purple sonic wave, and a violent explosion with a force of TNTs rocked the entire scene.

Both Burst Linkers had smiles on their faces.

The timer read 24.

The dust continued to swirl, Kenneth was pretty confident he won, yet...

It's shrill sound saturated the air, the purple wave continued to travel along the ground, it's path carved out of the very earth, it seemed as if it was roaring as it zoomed towards him.

He couldn't react in time, he barely weaved to his left...

It was then that he saw eternity in a stormy flash of exquisite purple, it's warm embrace bathed him in an instance, engulfing his entire alter ego. "AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH HHHHHHRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!" Kenneth screamed in pain as his extremities began to disintegrate into vapor, his pain senses raging with signals almost to the point of breaking. His mouth was agape and his eyes were teary and he was screaming on the top of his lungs.

The smoking jet-black avatar, with right arm torn halfway and left leg cut off from the knee down collapsed on the ground, kneeling on his remaining leg. His spear was nowhere to be found. He cradled himself using what remained of his left arm, his head bowed low and he was screaming in pain. His HP gauge showed just about a tiny pixel left.

With the now extinguished bounded field, Black Lotus was released from the binds of the hellish restriction and was now free to move as she pleased. She slowly hovered towards the grounded Noir Eraser, her sword arms at the ready. Her /HP/ was still a few notches up in comparison to her enemy. In just a few seconds, she reached the ground beside him, hearing his own wails and screams of pain and agony.

20

"You... Are the first person in a while to ever get this far in battle with me. I can praise you for that." Kuroyukihime said with a soft voice, her right sword arm pointed towards Kenneth's exposed neck. "But sadly, I am the Black King and I shall not lose to the likes of you. You still have a lot to go, Kenneth." She added, staring blankly as Noir Eraser pressed his own neck into her blade.

"I don't need your sentiments..." Kenneth replied, his voice was still cracked from pain as he looked up, his head coming into close proximity with Kuroyukihime's deadly blades as he realized it's his loss. "...Even if I lose right here right now, my resolve will not waver, I will continue to oppose you, as I have been, and one day, I..." He paused briefly, seemingly looking for the right words...

15

"...I will defeat you and I will destroy Nega Nebulas. This, I swear."

"Then I shall wait for your return, Kenneth Kusanagi a.k.a Noir Eraser..." The Black Legion's Black King Black Lotus raised her sword arm high, it's pure black blade gleamed eerily against the backdrop. "...But for now..."

10

It happened in just mere milliseconds, the black blade swiftly brought down against Noir Eraser, severing what was left of his head, sending it a couple of meters away from his body.

Kenneth couldn't even scream as his nerves felt the pain which lasted a couple of seconds before seeing the words You Lose in front of him followed by a sudden blackout as his avatar shattered and scattered blue pixel like dust around.

"...I, the Black King Black Lotus hereby exile Noir Eraser from the Black Legion, Nega Nebulas. From this day onwards you shall wander aimlessly, leading a life of a rogue."

With the words You Win appearing in her peripheral vision, Black Lotus stood where was as the surroundings around her started melting into a bluish black swirl of colors, her vision registering a vibrant flash of colors before the world in front of her completely broken down, and as the gears of time started to move forward, the colors of life came rushing back.

Returning to his senses, Kenneth slowly snapped the XSB Cable out of his Neuro Linker before standing up his chair, grabbing his bag on the ground in the process.

"Fine. Expel me as much as you like, just like you abandoned Chloe. But let me tell you this, Kuroyukihime. One day, one day your past will come to haunt you and you will seek me. Remember that."

With those words said, Kenneth walked off the scene, leaving the black princess on her chair, looking at his back.

Yes. This where it all began. This is where it all started.

This is were his hatred brought his ideals to life.

As he reached the doorway leading outside, Kenneth saw Miya together with Haru, the two of them on opposite sides of the corridor, their eyes fixed towards each other and he could feel the tension between them.

"Miyamori Torai. The world is changing. If the King does not lead, his subordinates will not follow. I shall be the one to judge this world, and if you think ideals alone will not change it, follow me. But if you think strength represents justice and powerlessness is a crime, leave. It shall be up to your morals."

Smiling, Miya went over to his side, skipping as she did. "From the moment I was exiled from the /Legion/, since that day, I've lived a lie: The lie of living. My name, too, was a lie. My personal history, a lie. Nothing but lies. I was sick to death of a world that couldn't be changed. But even in my lies, I refused to give up in despair, but now...This incredible power... Is mine. Well then... With you, there is nothing to fear." She said as she looked up to Kenneth.

"Let me ask you something, Haruyuki Arita. Suppose there is an evil that justice cannot bring down. What would you do? Would you taint your hands with evil to destroy evil? Or would you carry out your own justice and succumb to that evil?" He turned towards Haru who was now puzzled as he stood a couple of meters away from the pair, his eyes showing that he didn't even understand what Kenneth has just told him.

Just then, a strong presence was felt behind them, looking back, Kenneth saw Kuroyukihime. "... Life without change might be called anything except life, it's nothing more than experience. The other Pure Colored Kings sought the present, but I seek the future, the same as you..." She said, her voice gentle yet with the authoritative undertones of a true King.

"Yes, I am Black Lotus, the Burst Linker who leads the Black Legion, who challenges the Six Pure Colored Kings, and the one who will dominate this world and hold it in my hands."

Turning his back towards Kuroyukihime, Kenneth began to slowly walk away, his hands inside his pockets.

"Farewell, Snow Black Princess. You may have been the first girl that I ever loved..." He silently whispered to himself as Miya ran to catch up with him. "I must spill yet more blood, so the blood already spilt will not be in vain. Sister, I... Shall destroy this world for you, and create a new and gentle one, a one filled with vibrant colors..."

The four people in that vicinity all knew that this will escalate into something big, yet in their hearts, all of them were yearning for it. They were yearning for the carnage and destruction that will bring about the end of this stagnant and fallacious peace, the Ragnarok of this realm.

The stage was set and the curtains have been drawn, and it is now the time for the actors and actresses to take center spotlight.

Inside the unforgiving and cruel world of Brain Burst.

* * *

A/N: Phew, This might be the longest chapter I've ever written. Good thing I was able to pull it through despite all the stuff that sidetracked me (Dragon Nest, Diablo 3, PS3) haha. Anyways, this would be the "Flashback Arc Finale" chapter so I had to cover all the loose ends ehere and there. Well, I hope you guys liked it and next Chapter, we'll be flung back into the present with a brief recap of what happened during the lag between the timelines. Will keep this posted. Also, please do check my other fic which is entitled "Hidan no Aria: Requiem of a Lost Melody" as well. R&R's please! Thanks, Seiji Godspeed.

PS: I won't be putting slashes or parenthesis on words like /Burst Link/ etc etc because FF is such a pain because it messes up my document's format and also I won't be italicizing the speeches anymore because I R LAZEH. /QQ


	9. Chapter 9 Resolve

**Chapter Eight: "Resolve"**

* * *

Kenneth felt a sharp twitch beneath his skin as he remembered those events.

He could still feel the pain of the wounds he suffered from that day as he held up his hand and ran it through his neck, even though it didn't really left a physical scar or whatsoever, the pain from his pride being shot down the skies along with the blow against his ego was too much that he still hates himself for being that weak back then he thought as he looked back at the girl who was looking puzzled beside him.

"Hhmm, no, nothing's wrong, Miyu. I just remembered something from the past, that's all..." Kenneth replied in earnest as he finished up his meal, his hunger satisfied with the good tasting lunch box he was given by the girl called Miyu.

"Umu, glad to see that you enjoyed it tee-hee." Miyu replied sheepishly, her short forelocks bobbed as she held up her face closer to him. "...You just remembered Kuroyukihime, didn't you?" She asked as she started packing up the now empty lunch boxes that were handed to her by Kenneth, the lacquer made ornate oriental design of the black boxes gave off an impression that it probably was a notch higher when it comes to the price.

Surprised at the question he was presented with, and at the same time it nailed him directly as it was right on the spot. Did he really thought about Kuroyukihime? Did he remembered her more in comparison to their fight? Was she really involved in everything? Kenneth pressed his already troubled mind for answers, after all, he could no longer rely on his sister as she was already out of the game, and she can't even remember anything about it.

The few seconds of silence became awkward, the sun still shining gently upon the two of them, the blue sky proclaimed it's innocent brilliance as it casted a warm embrace.

"...So you really did thought of her." Miyu concluded after she finished cleaning out their lunch, the frown on her face signified her sadness as her eyes looked directly towards Kenneth's. "...It has been quite some time after that incident, Kenneth. You have moved on, no, make that 'we' have moved on. We already have a new goal, and you have to keep this up..." She can't bear to get angry at him, as she was constantly beside him along his chosen path; the path of a King.

Right after the farce and the dispute inside Nega Nebulas, specifically between Kuroyukihime; Black Lotus and Kenneth Kusanagi; Noir Eraser, the Black Legion went into further turmoil and continued it's downward spiral as Kenneth started an unrest right after he was exiled by the Legion Master, as he did, he brought along Miyamori Torai, his 'accomplice' so as to say. Since then, he started his own 'Legion', a small Legion inside Nega Nebulas, without Kuroyukihime's permission.

And that was when she, Miyuki Waldstein met him. Through some twist of fate, her father, who is a pure-blooded British citizen was suddenly requested to be transferred over to Japan because his work environment demanded him so, and as she liked and supported his father's work; which is game software development, she tagged along with her mother, who is of Japanese descent. After transferring to Umesato Middle School, the closest school around their house in the Suginami area, she was admitted to Kenneth's class.

Maybe it was because both of them weren't pure-blooded Japanese or maybe because both of them were fond of games that they immediately felt a distinct bond between them. After just a few days of transferring in, she still didn't had friends as her proficiency with the Japanese language was next to none and she struggled with communicating, and that was when Kenneth spoke to her. In English. Straight, neutral accented English. She could still remember his first words to her.

"Do you want to have lunch?"

She was taken by those words in surprise as he softly whispered them to her as he stood in front of her desk, his slender figure towered before her as he stood fairly taller compared to their classmates, his hands were tucked in to his pants and his side-parted black hair was worn a little bit longer than usual which swayed as he tilted his head to hear her answer. At the instant, she could feel her maiden heart captivated, her eyes widened and her face flushed red. It was the first time she encountered that sudden burst of feelings.

And that was when it all started, after they fought their way through the school cafeteria to grab lunch, they chatted and began knowing each other's hobby and other stuff and after finding out that he also liked games, she felt rainbows spanning out in her consciousness. She felt that he is someone different, someone she could really trust. Yeah, you could call her whimsical but never has her people skills failed her

Yeah, not even after he introduced Brain Burst to her.

Not even after she started fighting inside the Accelerated World.

Not once has she doubted him, he was with her all throughout everything. Someone who she never had the chance of meeting before.

"Not that I remember her... You know how much I hate that person... It's just that... I started reminiscing the memoirs of the time when my sister used to be my companion..." This time, Kenneth spoke up as he placed one arm over her shoulders, she could feel the warmness of his life as she cuddled close to him, obviously jealous at the fact that he might be having doubts when he chose her over that girl. "...But don't worry, you are my companion now, Miyu. You will always be." He whispered close to her ear where she suddenly felt hot and weird.

"Mou, K-kun. I won't be able to take it if you always remember her... I know that my Duel Avatar, Icicle Rage is still not as strong as yours, Miya's or not even Makoto's, but with you helping me..." Her eyes started hiding under her auburn colored hair which she wears in a 'hime cut' fashion. Then after a couple of seconds, her wide eyes looked up to Kenneth before continuing. "...I know I can be worthy enough to be your girl, so until then, I will strive hard with everything I got!" Her cheery voice seemed to lift up all of Kenneth's worries off his chest as he relaxed as he sat in the green bench.

Even if he still wasn't a Level 9 Burst Linker, he decided to make an organization hidden within Nega Nebulas. An organization that is like no other, and they operated in utmost secrecy and with devastating successes in the space above, the Unlimited Neutral Field, constantly hunting Enemies, allowing them to get more Burst Points, therefore advancing both their battle experience and levels. This allowed both Kenneth and his followers to get pumped up both numerically and statistically even if they didn't piqued the suspicion of other Legions nor raise their attention towards Nega Nebulas.

The 7th Rift.

It was the christened name of the organization that he lead, a collection of Burst Linkers who either shared the same fate as the exiled Noir Eraser and Mercuric Void or was forcefully disowned by their own Legion for insubordination or brokerage of the No Invasion treaty. In short, they were all rouges which Kenneth hand-picked from an assortment of Burst Linkers that flocked to him at the notice of a safe haven for their kind.

The 7th Rift. It was an organization that functions very differently than what they usually do. It was an 'Armed Organization'. What Kenneth had in mind is that he will create a task force composed of the strongest Burst Linkers he could gather and they will function as the instigators of conflict, inciting chaos, destruction, and bloodshed across the Accelerated World in their wake, breaking the No Invasion treaty into smithereens and therefore sparking an all-out war between all the Legions which will in turn, eventually allow someone to reach Level 10 and end this game in the process.

Ushering in a closure to the game, a conclusion to it's story, is what his sister hoped for, and what he is striving to do.

"I know you will... I will support you in as much as I can..." Kenneth said as he kept his calm, his right arm over the bench's back rest while his left arm was over Miyu's shoulders, her body in close proximity with him. "...Just... Don't leave me... Don't leave me just like everybody else... Stay by my side, that is all I ask of you..." He asked in earnest, as his only fear right now is the fear of being alone, the fear of not having someone to trust, fear of being abandoned. He wanted assurance, allegiance, security, and she offered hers willingly, and she has been doing her part ever since he met her, and he felt really comfortable with her.

"I won't leave you, I really won't. You are, after all, my one and only Parent in the Accelerated World, the one you entrusted with the only chance to transfer Brain Burst, the only legacy you can give inside the Accelerated World and..." She slightly inclined her head to so it rests on Kenneth's chest, and as she did, she could even feel his heartbeat, which was slightly faster than normal. She smiled as she continued. "...besides, I already decided to follow you for as long as I can, whether inside the 2D realm or outside in 3D, I will always be here..."

She slowly closed her eyes as she felt relaxed in his arms.

"Thanks. Then I will always trust you with everything that I own and govern, Miyuki."

He then slowly caressed the flowing auburn locks that cascaded down her angelic face, appreciating the kindness and compassion shown by the person with him, even after knowing what he's done, what he is right now, and what he is planning right now. She accepted him unconditionally, it's as if she didn't mind yet, the effort she is showing to prove her words is genuine and she continues to amaze him day after day, with regards to the growth of her Duel Avatar, Icicle Rage.

The two of them sat under the clear blue sky until the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.

* * *

*DING DONG DANG DONG*

As the sun began to change it's hue from the usual yellow to dusk's orange shade, the final bell of they day tolled loudly at Umesato Middle School, signaling the end of yet another day of school, and the usual clatter of the students began to cease as they all happily filed out of the classrooms, their bodies ready to enjoy the remaining half of their day for rest and relaxation.

But not for Kenneth.

He remained seated as he placed both of his linked hands under his chin as he relaxed in the middle of the now almost empty classroom, save for a couple of busybodies who still lingered to chit chat and whatnot. He silently closed his eyes to escape the noise he was hearing around him, shutting himself into his own secluded world.

He slowly closed his eyes to silently contemplate on his ideals, his goal, his dreams and ambition, and to level the ground where he is, and most importantly, he wanted to make sure he is on the right standpoint. His mind started to drift elsewhere, his features relaxed and his mind was serene and clear and gentle as the wind.

Being a King, a leader to others.

It is a glamorous yet lonely and thorn-filled path that is full of glory, of triumph yet, behind the curtains of victory, lies a hidden mask that the King needs to wear as he is destined to be someone who walks alone in his quest for more victory and glory. It is him alone who needs to trod that long, hard and thorn filled path in exchange for his destined hegemony, a payment for the bloodstained hands he is to bear, an equivalent exchange for all the pleasures of being one.

It is a path vulnerable to the sins of vainglory, of pride, of greed, of lust and of wrath. Those are the sins that a King must bear alone, without refuge, without remorse or pity. He knew it will be hard, he understood what it mean to be a King in his own right, he knows the complications and the dangers of doing so yet, he steeled his resolve, he struggled to find the fire inside him, the courage to lead, the pride to stand up and the power to claim victory and glory for his subjects.

Despite lowering himself as to being a mere symbol to his people, selling his soul to the devils, the price he has to pay.

A price he is more than willing to pay, and a price he finds rather cheap.

"If the King doesn't lead; the people will not follow, huh..." He silently muttered to himself as he opened his eyes again, momentarily blinded by the flowing orange light from the windows of the classroom before seeing the girl standing in front of her. She sports a long curled at the ends auburn colored hair, her frame was a little bit taller than most of the girls in their class, her blue colored eyes were set in a perfect angle that made her face seem more gentle and her overall appearance gave her an aura of an 'ojousama'.

Her name is Miyuki Waldstein. The person who was by his side through the ordeals and challenges he faced, an invaluable ally and someone who he cares for.

"How was the dreamland? Haha" Miyuki cheerfully asked as she leaned closer to him, strands of her hair fluttered gently which she used her fickle hand to hold it in place. "Sorry if I may have woke you up or something but, I believe it's time for the assembly." She added as she picked up her bad which was set on her table located just beside Kenneth's. Her light blue blazer which was probably a size smaller for her embraced her womanly body, making Kenneth gulp, face red.

"So it's that time already, eh?" Kenneth spoke up, asking as he slowly stood up from his chair, stretching his numb arms as he went, his eyes kept on Miyuki as she skipped towards the now empty classroom's door. "How many have confirmed attendance today?" He continued as he himself walked over to where Miyuki is, after meeting up, they slowly made their way outside the halls of the second year building, walking side by side.

Pulling up menus on her Neuro Linker, Miyuki enlarged a Text Document on her peripheral vision showing a list of names which she checked with speed and dexterity. "Well, I believe that other than you, me, Miya, Akira and Reika, we may also have attendees from the guys we recruited the other day above." She told Kenneth as they neared the Umesato Middle School's front gate.

"And the place?" He threw a fit glance to her before slowing his pace down being a couple of steps away from the gate itself. Kenneth gripped his bag quite hard and his hand which was slid into his pockets started to fidget.

"The usual, they will be the ones to meet us up there on our turf and we need only to wait." Miyuki smiled to him as both of them stopped in front of the gates, only a step away outside. They exchanged glances before nodding to each other, and with that as their cue, both of them stepped outside using their right foot at the same time, together, they uttered a forbidden and taboo phrase.

"UNLIMITED BURST!"

* * *

No matter how many times he returned to this place, he could never have liked it.

The interior of the confines of the place was leaned more towards the futuristic side as the halls of this building like structure was lined up with various LED indicators giving it a natural sci-fi general feel to it, and with the addition of the randomly generated robotic type enemies in the perimeter served none to increase his likings. Basically, he hated this place more than how he hated the other stages of Burst Link as they seem to give off the feel that destruction is always around the corner for each and every Burst Linker that arrives there.

This is the spot where they have set up base, although illegally, this is where the High Council of The 7th Rift convene and discuss their plans and basically where they assemble in general. Much thought have been given to it's strategic value, tactical location, ease of access and the level of difficulty to defend it just in case it should come under siege, everything has been given it's proper stratagem, thanks to the brilliant battle plans that Kenneth, a.k.a Noir Eraser formulated with the help of his secretary, Miyuki Waldstein a.k.a Icicle Rage.

As the two avatars walked inside the King's chambers together, Noir Eraser and Icicle Rage earned the immediate stares of the handful Burst Linkers that were gathered there, whistling and teasing as they headed over to their usual seats. Kenneth made his way over the head of the table-like structure in the middle of the room before staring closely at his subjects that were seated around him, checking each and everyone present.

Miyuki Waldstein, Icicle Rage, Level 5, her avatar is whitish in general with a slight tinge of blue at the trimmings, her overall appearance is that of a Valkyrie like character, with a white winged helmet on her head, mostly covering her eyes, she wore a white armor that had blue angelic like decals which partially covered her important parts, but then again, it revealed fleshy white skin in parts that it didn't. She has one of those rare humanoid like avatars that had natural skin embedded in the profile. A thin blade hung on her waist, currently sheathed and the aura around her had this 'chilly' effect.

Miyamori Torai, Mercuric Void Level 6, hers sported a dark silver hue in comparison to Silver Crow's color. The robotic design her avatar had looked a little bit like the fictional character 'Drossel' made about twenty years ago. Her face mask had a single weird slit on it, which displayed a greenish glow under it. Her main armor looked more subtle as her avatar was leaned more towards speed and dexterity, the only parts that really had platings where her upper torso and the sides of her waist. She sat cross legged on the right side of the table, her fingers playing with a small blob of mercury, tossing it up then catching it back.

Akira Murasaki, Amethyst Maverick, Level 6, a humanoid exterior framed Burst Linker with deep purple undertones with a brush of yellow overtones in his joints, wears a fox mask as helmet topped with a pair of fox ears that wiggled as if it was alive. He carries a thin straight blade on his back, a Ninjato, sheathed with an ornately-designed scabbard that is of the same color as his exterior which was of a highly detailed ninja-like armor.

Reika Shiraishi, Topaz Canopy, Level 5, another humanoid Duel Avatar that dons a frilly yellow dress, her helmet had a cute little yellow lolita cap plastered on to the right part, and she had flowing blond human-like hair that rivals Icicle Rage's. She playfully held a yellow frilly parasol on her right hand. Her avatar radiated yellow all over and it was so concentrated that it looks like it rivals the Yellow King. A mysterious avatar with a lot of deceptive skills which proved to be invaluable in team fights.

And him, Noir Eraser. The 'King' of this Organization. His jet-black armor seemed to seethe with infinite hatred, it's pure darkness proclaimed his inner dark side, it's joints were highlighted with fire red, and the armor he had on was leaned towards the mobile armor type, not too bulky and not too thin either, his helmet was dragon shaped, and the tattered red cloth that hangs behind him had more of a crimson color and it dangled as he stood at the head of the table, his presence a dominating factor to all those who were present, his charismatic aura being the one that binds each and everyone of them, and it was more than enough to make lower leveled Burst Linkers to cower in fear.

Noir Eraser, Level 7.

The mere sound of the number '7' after it is heard in the Accelerated World is more than daunting, as out of the estimated 1000 Burst Linkers, since there are only seven people who have achieved Level 9, only a mere quarter have reached Level 5, and only a handful even made it to Level 6, what more attaining Level 7? It was rare, extremely rare. And the head of this Organization, created with the sole purpose of instigating war on all fronts, sparking conflict, chaos and destruction is one of them.

His rise to power was no secret, and certainly wasn't the byproduct of cheating, it was pure hard work, strategy, perseverance and teamwork amongst the Organization, who spent almost an average of four to five hours a day, six to seven days a week inside the Unlimited Neutral Field, hunting down 'Enemies' who randomly spawn all over the place while laying down traps and ambushing fellow Burst Linkers from other hunting parties. Slowly and steadily, their Burst Points and experience went up, summing up the levels they were on right now.

They repeated that cycle over and over and over, and with the 'Individual Strategic Growth Module' that Kenneth provided to each of them, they were able to maximize their own Duel Avatar's innate abilities, special abilities and their own physical skills, honing them to perfection. Basically, they were more like the MMORPG game characters of the old times, where everything is already planned and set by the time the character was created, with the idea of what end-game skills, capabilities, strengths and statistics would emerge even before they hit the button to send the newly created character off to the first town of the game. It was that type of advanced planning that permitted the core High Council members of The 7th Rift to be masters at their own avatar's strengths, and people who knew their limits and weaknesses, able to find a work-around and apply them firsthand at the point of encountering them. They were also masters at working together, with a certain level of understanding of each other's Duel Avatars that permitted them to work together up to some degree.

In short, they are the elites of the elites, the envoys of carnage.

As he finished checking up on each of his loyal subjects, Kenneth looked straight up before he started speaking. "I thank all of you for taking the time off today to attend this convention, and I also thank you for all your handwork up to this point in time." He said as he stood straight up, his glance sweeping the table from left to right. After the sound of eager applause from the audience died down, he continued. "I do believe that most of us have reached a certain level of strength that majority of the other weak willed Burst Linkers can only hope to attain in such a short span of time. I am really honored to see that the plans I have laid down were put into actions flawlessly by the lot of you."

"Woo hoo! No need to be so humble boss!" Akira shouted out loud as he pumped his fists into the air, sparking up cheers from all the other participants. "We are always behind you, supporting you in all your ideals until the end!"

"Yeah he's right! We were already abandoned by our own Legion, discarded after we were used... And yet, you... You took us in and nurtured us, and it is high time that we pay you back!" Reika said with a tone rivaling Makoto's, both of their voices rocking out the hall.

"Yeah! Our resolve will not falter! Your goals are our goals!" Miyuki added happily as she stood up, her hands situated in her chest. "My sword shall be yours, cutting everyone who dares stand against your hegemony, until the end of this realm!"

"I have already sworn allegiance to you the moment you were exiled, and I will see this to the end." This time it was Miya, who calmly stated her opinion as she continued to sit down cross legged, the aura she was giving off was one with a certain level of pride and authority, she's the first member of The 7th Rift anyway. "If Miyu will be your sword, then I shall be the shield that protects you from harm!" She continued with confidence.

"Thank you, I can't thank you guys well enough..." Kenneth said in earnest, as without these people, he would not be where he is right now. "...Which brings me into our discussion for today..." After donning a serious tone, he sat down before placing both his arms on the table in front of him, earning the attention of the council. "...As we speak, there is a single entity that endangers our efforts..."

The other Burst Linkers listened in attention upon hearing his serious tone.

"...That entity's name is Chrome Disaster."

* * *

A rugged, rocky mountainous region was the stage for their fated encounter. The barren wasteland the sprawled before them provided an unforgiving battlefield for the two of them, their avatars standing in the middle of the faze, it was the calm before the storm.

A pair of large green eyes shone brightly under her bright red helmet with twin antennas attached to either side, making them appear as if they are twin tails. Her avatar's body was small, almost half of a normal sized Burst Linker, it's features were made to look like a kid, and it's color had a deep saturation of red, it was like her entire body is on fire. Her small right hand held a tiny same colored pistol which highly elevated the 'childishness' of her avatar.

Opposite of her was an anomaly, a monstrous abomination that took on the shape of a rabid upright walking werewolf, it's body heralding a deep dark gray color. It's head was abnormally large because it has a huge jaw that was filled with sharp fangs, saliva-like liquid stretching as it breathed hot air. It's body was by all means equally monstrous, it's large torso was ripped with muscles as well as it's arms and legs, it's over sized hands held a rather blunt looking sword, which was almost as big as his own height, it's copper like color gave the appearance that it was used more as a bludgeon rather than as a usual sword.

The air between them was tense, like a piece of rubber band stretched to it's limits and one could even feel sparks flying from them as they stared down each other.

The little red avatar's eyes bore it's gaze down the dark gray monstrosity before her, unfazed as it let out a loud roar, it's strength making the very earth tremble beneath them. She clutched her little red pistol tightly on her right hand, she steeled her resolve as she assumed a battle stance, aiming directly into the beast's heart, her sights lined up with her large green eyes.

In a heartbeat, the huge Burst Linker charged head on, thundering his way towards the seemingly hapless little avatar, his towering broadsword raised above his shoulders.

Quickly reacting to the hostile behavior of the Duel Avatar before her, the red one cartwheeled backwards, her small body frame giving her an edge when it comes to speed. As she landed a couple of meters away from where the black avatar smashed his sword into the ground, making a small crater as he did, she aimed her small gun towards the avatar's chest, it's nozzle starting to pulsate red from within yet...

"Tsk, in the end I still can't do it, Cherry Rook..." She silently cursed herself as she backed off yet again as her fingers refused to pull the trigger, the bulky copper colored sword thundered again and again, slamming on the ground repeatedly as she moved in a zigzag manner to try and avoid it while the rabid black avatar continued it's rage, eventually pushing the red one into a tight spot where she had her back against a wall.

He roared loudly, causing the red avatar to fall on her knees and in the roar's wake, she started to crawl under the monster's legs and as she emerged behind it, the abomination noticed her as she started running away from it. Raising it's free hand, the mad warrior loosed yet another howl as the red avatar started to slow down and eventually sliding her way back towards the nightmare.

Much to her surprise, she slid closer and closer back to the nightmare she tried fleeing, her feet scratching against the ground, she fell on all fours as she continued to resist the pull, her fiery red hands stained with the dirt on the ground. In just a matter of seconds, she was already at the hands and mercy of the monster as it held her by the neck, her feet dangling in mid-air, her two hands trying to free herself as she grasped the muscle-bound arms that held her, and her pistol was lying on the ground somewhere.

Her deep settled big green eyes seemingly showed painful expressions as her voice grew weaker and weaker, her screams gradually muted by the lack of air she was breathing due to the overwhelmingly powerful grip of her captor, her real life body was also choking somewhere. Her consciousness slowly leaving her, she desperately banged her hands on the pair of grayish hands, trying to claw her way out but to no avail.

"GRRRRRRRAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" The beast roared as it tightened it's grip, slowly crushing the red avatar's neck joints, windpipe, trachea and all, snapping it's neck with a loud crack before it hanged limply by the sides. Then, as if it was a used rag doll that has served it's worth, the demon threw the lifeless avatar away, sending it careening towards a building which crumbled on her from the impact, and from underneath the mess, blue pixel like dust started to evaporate into the air.

Briefly after ending the one-side fight, the monster continued to howl it's voice reaching far and wide.

And it was then that she saw a brilliantly flashing white light before blacking out, the words You Lose displayed in front of her, followed by the slow yet gradual transition of her mind.

She cursed herself for being way too weak, and for failing in her objective today, he heart and feelings prevented her from completing her goal. As she held up her small white colored real life arms in front of her, she felt warm teardrops trickling down her cheeks and as she wiped it off, it didn't stopped, yet more tears started falling down.

"I... I just... Couldn't do it... No... Cherry why..." She wailed as she continuously wiped her tears dry, her small body slumped on the flesh colored sofa she was on.

* * *

"That... Certainly is something, don't you think, Miyu?" The dark silver avatar who was crouching low behind the pieces of rubble flanking a broken-down building said to her partner, who was in a similar pose just beside her, their figures hidden away as they spied on the fight which was unfolding between them, no, more like checking how the one-sided massacre concluded as the small red avatar, for some unknown reasons behaved differently because she didn't even tried fighting back.

Her partner, a bluish white colored one who donned light armor trimmings adorned with bluish decals turned her gaze towards her, her winged helmet's slits covered her eyes and curly blond hair cascaded down her shoulders giving it a more 'human' feature. "Are you sure that... That's the Red King, Scarlet Rain?" Miyuki Waldstein a.k.a Icicle Rage asked with a doubt in her voice, as she was also witness to the one-sided fight that happened.

"Hhmm, well yeah, she is. Though, I don't have the slightest idea why she didn't fought back. There must be something to it." Miyamori Torai a.k.a Mercuric Void replied as she cracked her knuckles, one of her habits that shows only when she is excited to fight. "Wanna go check it out? We still have time before the next Field Change..." She added, not hiding her voice's enthusiasm.

These two, Icicle Rage and Mercuric Void formed The 7th Rift's Scout Team, who's primary task is to secure information about certain targets, places, and the like, as well as to survey a specific enemy's strength, and to possibly find out it's weak spots, so if ever they needed to eliminate it, their team would have all the necessary knowledge and eventually get the upper hand in the fight. It was specifically formed by Kenneth, making use of two of his most trusted and skilled Burst Linkers as they usually undertake critical missions that will determine whether or not they succeed in a planned confrontation or not.

A war is easily won through information, as Kenneth noted.

Seeing Miya's habit kick in, Miyu could not help but sigh as she couldn't do much to prevent her from jumping when she does, and instead of arguing back, she just manipulated a couple of menus in her peripheral vision, creating a short message addressed to "K" which read, "Engaging target to check for parameters. Q1." which she sent quickly in order to keep up with Miya as she already stood up and started conjuring a mass of mercury.

At the rustle of sounds that echoed behind him, the huge dark gray monster which towered above the two slim bodied Burst Linkers that stood behind him, quickly turning around, it roared with such force that the earth rumbled and the shock wave of it's loud booming voice almost pushed Miya and Miyu a couple of inches backwards, their arms flung forward to shield themselves just in case.

Miyamori Torai a.k.a Mercuric Void conjured up her usual mercury, quickly turning it into an assault rifle like shape in order to compliment her partner. After doing so, she positioned herself behind Miyuki Waldstein a.k.a Icicle Rage, who now had her thin white colored rapier drawn, it's thin blade had this certain icy aura encircling it in the form of pure white snow flakes revolving the blade itself, her avatar's body directly in between both the monster and Miya's.

Seeing a duo of possible prey lurking before him, the monster loosed another loud howl before his huge copper sword came careening down the two female Burst Linker's paths, it's blunt edge unrelentingly tried to crush them without care for their race, gender and creed. Against him, they are all the same, they are prey. His food.

Just as the huge copper sword thundered down on them, Miyuki gracefully glided over, her boots although they looked metal, slid on the ground without encountering resistance, as if she was skating on ice, and a faint white ice-like trail was left where she skid, parrying the monstrous sword using only the point of her rapier, it's fine tip meeting the thick sword's blunt edge, resulting in a loud clanging sound, sending sparks and ice flakes flying all over as Miyuki's feet dug into the ground from the strength that came from the monster.

She clearly had the humongous gray monster in her sights, her finger rested on the gun's trigger as she tracked every movement from her target, and upon seeing both her target and Miyuki stuck in a stalemate, their weapons locked together, Miyamori steeled her aim and raised it towards the beast's head, the cross-hair dead center in it's temples. She grit her teeth, and gathered all her courage and resolve before pulling the trigger, which responded smoothly and quickly, sending a bullet down it's spiral engraved chambers down to the barrel and eventually firing off the large caliber round, spinning at a hellish pace, whistling as it sped towards where she was aiming at.

Sensing her partner aiming for it's head, Miyuki started thinking of ways on how to keep this monstrosity at further at bay, and as their swords danced together, an almost breathtaking shower of sparks and ice graced the intense scenario. After a few seconds of contact, she heard a loud bang from somewhere and in just a millisecond, her vision was splattered with blackish liquid as the monster's face exploded near her, her armor which is of the whiter shade, along with her weapon was stained with dark liquid.

"Eeewww... What's this?" Miyuki shouted as she took a couple of steps backwards, landing a few feet away from the monster who's head was literally blown into half. Glancing towards where Miyamori was, she was nowhere to be found yet, at the broken down building beside their former hiding place, she clearly saw a greenish scope that poked out of the dark rubble. "...Hey Miya, when you shoot, can you please make sure I'm n-" Her speech was cut off as the monster continued to stagger, half of it's head blown off yet it was still standing on it's two legs, screaming and howling as it does, it's free left hand holding the blasted part.

"UUUUUUUOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" As it twisted and screamed, the abomination howled on the top of it's lungs, it's voice resonating over a wide area, it's intensity reverberating the place, it thrashed and squirmed around seemingly hurt a lot by the direct head shot it suffered yet, it's legs never shook and it swung it's massive sword around him in a wide arc, making the whitish blue Miyuki to back off further until she reached her partner's location.

Then that was when the pair saw it with their own eyes. /SPACE/ Like darkness assimilating itself, the blown off half of it's head gradually spun around using the fibers or flesh-like 'tissues' of it's membrane inside it's helmet began twisting violently, like spaghetti being twirled over, then slowly rebuilding the part that was lost, eventually restoring it's complete head as if nothing happened. After it was completed, the creature of the dark spread out his arms widely as it howled yet again, it's mouth gaping and pointed towards the two girls, they clearly saw a void-like empty swirling darkness inside it's fanged jaws, it gave off an impression that it can devour anything, anytime, anywhere.

"Miya... I... Have a bad feeling about this..." Miyuki said as she clutched her white rapier close to her chest, it's point aimed towards the sky, her gaze landed upon her partner as she switched armaments, this time, she held an Uzi like SMG on both hands. "I think... This.. Whatever this is, is something that we can't beat right now..." She added as she assumed a fighting stance, the rapier brought down and is now pointing towards the gaping void-like structure of the monster's jaws.

Sensing that her partner is pretty serious about it and also considering her position in the Organization, Miyamori thought of a plan to escape the immediate area. "Yeah, me too... But don't worry, the field is about to change it's terrain, and we'll use that time lag delay to escape towards the Leap Out points in the city, we just have to hold out until it's time..." She said as she twirled both Uzis she had on each hand before aiming them cross-armed into the monster.

Exchanging just merely simple nods, it's as if they exchanged a full sentence and after doing so, Miyuki charged towards the monster, her rapier flashing with a brilliant white light as she did. "Pierce the heavens! Ice Sign: Icicle Repulser!" Screaming the name of one of her attacks, she thrusted her rapier forwards with such force and velocity that the sound it emitted upon release was just a few decibels short to mimic a jet's engine.

Upon impact, her rapier met the monster's left arm as it tried to guard off her attack, but after a loud explosion and a flash of white light as ice crystals scattered everywhere, the point where Miyuki's rapier landed disintegrated into nothingness, and the beast held up what was left of his left hand, a stump, high into the air, black liquid spurting out of it, showering the immediate area.

Just mere seconds after Miyuki's attack connected, Miyamori was also on the move, she circled towards the monster's back, firing both her Uzis as she did, raining silver bullets from the front, until it's back, leaving boatloads of bullet holes into it's body which spurted black liquid as well. Upon reaching the creature's back, Miyamori quickly clasped her hand and switched her weapons, creating a large, hollow tube, a Rocket Launcher out of the silver mass, after mounting it on her shoulders and taking a quick aim, she pressed the trigger as she screamed "Eat this, sucker!" while the rocket began it's short flight, it's noise drowning her voice.

*BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!*

The rocket exploded on the monster's broad back, sending the gargantuan beast down on his knees, finally, the crater it left on his back was as almost as big as half of it and it was smoking. The beast loosed a grunt as if it had it's engines cut off, and for a brief instance, silence reigned the air around them, the two Burst Linkers didn't move from their spots either, and they were just looking at the felled creature, unsure of what to do, momentarily forgetting that they tried using this diversion to escape.

The sound of silence was eerie.

Miyuki made her way towards still surprised Miyamori, her hands already disolved the spent Rocker Launcher. "Miya, let's go, let's escape now!" She then took Miyamori's slender dark gray arm and started pulling on it, snapping her back into the reality that they needed to escape the vicinity. "I believe our job here is done, and at some point this monster might just regenerate back what it lost and we'd..." Just then...

"UUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH" The beast roared madly this time, seemingly agitated from being injured to this extent, his eyes glowed red from being furious and suddenly without warning, the beast swung his copper sword horizontally towards the surprised pair of girls, who's eyes seemed to widen in surprise.

"Miyu!" Miyamori screamed as she pushed Miyuki towards the opposite side with force that made her stumble on the ground, leaving herself on the sword's path. Noticing her own predicament, she immediately spun mercury using only her left hand, instantaneously conjuring a shield-like object on her forearms which in she placed her hopes with to possibly block the blow yet...

*KKKKKKRRRRAAAAASSSSSHHHHHHH*

A shattering sound filled the area as the mercury spun shield shattered, sending shards of shrapnels around the area before quickly dissolving back to it's original liquid substance.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!" Miyamori wailed in pain as she limply held her left arm using her right, it's form was more like a vegetable rather than an arm. Meanwhile, as the beast's blade rebounded off the shield, it's fury increased and it swung it down again with such force that it made a shrill sound as it cut through air.

"MIYAAAAA!" Miyuki screamed as her eyes turned into the eyes of anguish as she charged head first into the fray, her rapier beginning to shine with white light again. "A Graceful Murder! Star Sign: Starfall Slasher!" The white light exploded into bluish flames before engulfing her avatar's entire arm, boosting it's speed more than twelve times it's original speed, making her sword arm appear like a mirage as she unleashed a barrage of thrusts and slashes against the monster, each blow delivered and connecting sent her opponent backing off, it's feet dredging up the dirt underneath them.

The beast couldn't even react properly as it was barraged by stabs and slashed and all it could do was guard against it, suffering major damages as he did, his armor splintering in all areas, revealing flesh-like texture under it's carapace, it was more human like than Icicle Rage's avatar, and as black liquid spurted from the 'wounds', the fiber surrounding it started to dance actively and soon beginning to repair the damages done, it was an endless cycle.

"No one stands in the way of the 7th Rift!" Miyuki shouted yet again, this time, her rapier gleamed with a deep bluish white glow, ice shards encircling it. "Sleep eternally inside this prison of ice! Ice Sign: Icicle Tomb!" At the same time she chanted her aria, the place was suddenly plunged into a sub-zero temperament, the beast's feet started to become encased in pure white ice which continued to climb up to his knees, to her torso, and eventually covering his entire body, he was trapped in an icy cage, his features seemed locked, showcasing it's rage.

"And now, for the final blow!" Her voice resounded inside the now bluish white demeanor of the place which was subdued in icy temperament. "Vanish! Rage Sign: Judgment Harbrigner!" It was then that her rapier completely turned itself into an icy sword, it's pure white blade was still as sharp as the tempest, Miyuki raised it to chest level before holding it over her shoulders using both hands, suddenly, an image of a blue dragon swirled over her, it's head had it;s jaws open, showcasing a perfect set of white fangs. "I will end this, right here, right now, Chrome Disaster. You are not worthy to face my master's wrath..." Miyuki said to herself as she focused on the abomination before her, who was still regenerating it's wounds, as if it was oblivious that a deathblow was on the way to snuff out his existence.

"Miyuki wait hold on!" This time, Miyamori dashed off towards Miyuki, her arms preventing her from sending the blue dragon to cast judgment on the pitiful existence before them.

"Now's not the time for this! Kenneth told us to just observe! He still has plans that we can't ruin! Control yourself let's retreat for now!" She said close to her ear as she still held her limp left arm which was still in pain.

Stopped in the middle of her ow battle ecstasy, Miyuki was brought back to her senses, her mind suddenly replayed back the orders that Kenneth gave them.

"You are to spy on Chrome Disaster, find out what it's capabilities are, along with it's strengths and weaknesses, we shall need it for the coming dialogue. Engage him with caution, but absolutely do not eliminate him."

His words sent shivers up and down her spine as she went this close to breaking them, and as quickly as possible, she suppressed her battle aura, cutting off her actions, causing the move to break down and be invalidated, her eyes still trained towards the sulking monster who looked as if it was licking it's own wounds, slumped on to his sides, leaning on the tower of rubble beside him.

"Let's go, to the leap point quickly!" Miyamori grabbed Miyuki's arm again, forcing her out of her daydream and the two of them quickly left the battlefield, skipping as fast as they can from point to point in order to get away from the monstrosity as far as possible, the injuries they sustained further hyped their senses as they fought desperately against the fear of being ambushed by fellow Burst Linkers, they are in the Unlimited Neutral Field after all.

As they rushed away, the scenery before them began to fade, the colors bent and twisted, giving an end to the world that was before them, while ushering a whole new battleground to spill their blood, sweat and tears on. The place changed from being the desolated city, gradually turned into a lush green environment, the green vegetation sprawled forth from their feet, springing up to dampen their feet.

The duo eventually reached the Leap Point, a safe haven for them.

"Here, quickly! Just stand here and say the log out command!" Miyamori spoke as she stood in the Leap Point that was situated in the middle of a cave-like structure. "Link Out!" After muttering those words, her body started to glow blue, before turning into pixels which blew with the wind.

She was next. Miyuki made her way towards the raised platform slowly, glancing at the different environment she was in right now. It was just so different, it didn't had that certain awkwardness of the desolated place that she usually sees inside the Accelerated World, it had that sort of feeling of calmness and serenity, a relaxing sight that one might even forget he is Linked In.

She likes it.

She stood in the middle of the platform, her right hand held up her chest.

One day she will return here, along with her master, the one she entrusted her life on, the one she swore to protect. She will return to complete and finish this mission, with him. Soon it will come, she knows it, it's just a matter of time, she just have to retrain her urges to destroy, it's just wasn't the right time for it. Miyuki gently closed her eyes, her vision turned black before seeing an image. An image of a person. The person she likes the most, the person she wanted to cherish and protect.

Kenneth Kusanagi.

"Link Out!"

* * *

A/N: Heya everyone! We got another pretty long chapter here, and this will *probably* be the case from now on as I can work on it both at home and at work, hooray for laziness haha. Anyways if you've read carefully, I did include stuff from Code Geass because, I really liked it's story and concept so that explains some quotes and ideas, but don't worry, they will all blend together. Also, I would like to thank the reviewers and all the people who read this fic, you guys rock! Please do look forward to the next chapter! R&Rs!

PS: Do check my other fic too, it's entitled Hidan no Aria: Requiem of a Lost Melody :D


	10. Chapter 10 Firewall

**Chapter Nine: "Firewall"**

* * *

"I will be stronger! You just wait for me, Niko!"

It was still fresh in her memories. Those words were like a heavy cross that she carries inside her young heart, a burden that she will shoulder as long as she Accelerates. It was like how a small sin done as a child still lingered in her conscience until she reached her age, though she isn't old enough, it hampered with both her feelings and judgment. They were like humps on a road, preventing her from speeding along her chosen path.

She still remembers the day they first met, as if it was just yesterday, she could still remember his gentle face, and his flushed expression when he first talked to her, his cheeks beet red and his brows furrowed as if she was someone who's so hard to talk to, yet he did his best, he came up to her, talked to her and even summoned enough courage to ask her...

"Do you like games?"

At first, the young Yuniko Kozuki was surprised that that was the first question he came up with yet, at the same time, she was also amazed. Amazed at the fact that she did had the courage to step up ad not be a coward, and also being brave enough to ask a girl if she likes games, which doesn't normally happen. In the young elementary school student's mind, there was a storm of strong emotions which almost seemed to brim up, as her cheeks showed the same redness her hair had and her big round eyes cannot keep direct contact with him.

At that point in time, she felt secured, as if she found her haven, she finally found someone who really cared for her, for she haven't experienced the loving arms of the parents she never had, she longed for the warmth and kindness of others, and the security of having someone look out for her. In short, she was in bliss. Their friendship quickly grew closer as they both shared the flair and passion for gaming, and he wasn't the one who chastises gender and treated Yuniko as an equal, despite her being a girl.

Then came that day, it was just another normal day, the two of them were playing games on the older game console that the orphanage which housed them have kept through the years, and they were having a rather nice time, despite the games being more than thrice their age, it was a nice change of pace from the modern ones they had installed on their Neuro Linkers. After finishing a round, he suddenly looked bored and had this distant look in his eyes as he plopped down on his back as he tossed his controller beside him.

"What's wrong? Are you tired of playing? Or should we play another game?" Niko asked as she went close to him, curious as to why he suddenly bailed out when he usually was the one who was more hyped up whenever they play these old school games. She saw him with one eye closed and his fingers subtlety manipulating virtual menus in front of him used for his Neuro Linker. "What'cha doin? wanna play a Linker game now?" She asked with curiosity.

"Yeah. And... I..." The boy paused, trying to look for the right words to say, beads of sweat started forming up his forehead which trickled down towards his copper colored hair. "...I... Want to play this game with you." He said with a low voice, his fingers trembling as he continued to fiddle with the menus in front of him, his only open eye gazing long fully at the young redhead.

Niko was at a loss of words for the sudden invitation, she was utterly surprised and her already big eyes widened further and her red irises dilated in shock. Never, in all her life, was she invited by someone of the opposite gender to play a virtual game, and she was always alone whenever she does play primarily because most of the girls her age that were at the orphanage either didn't have a Neuro Linker worn or doesn't like games at all. She was always alone.

But now, she was asked by someone, of the opposite gender, finally. Her eyes lit up instantly and she couldn't keep herself from nodding furiously at the idea. "Yes yes! Can I? Can I?" Niko asked enthusiastically, her red twin-tailed hair bobbed up and down as she continued to nod while holding up her small hands to her chest in an excited manner.

Seeing her reaction, the guy was surprised as well, his sleepiness chased off as he saw how happy and excited she was at the idea, and he was happy as well for gathering the courage to ask her, thinking it was well worth the effort. "Nice nice, Niko! I'll let you copy a game from my Neuro Linker and we can play together! How does hat sound?" He asked happily as he stood up. "Wait, lemme just get an XSB Cable..." He added as he quickly dashed off towards his room to grab the cable.

After he came back with the peripheral, he was greeted by a puzzled Niko. "Uhhmm, why do we need to establish a Direct Connection? Can't you just host it up the orphanage's Home Network?" She asked as she tilted her head sidewards in a cutesy expression, although she was still clueless as to why they needed to connect directly which might or would be a little uncomfortable for both of them.

"Well, this file cannot be uploaded into the Home Network as it is too sensitive to do so, we really need to establish a Direct Connection." He said as he returned to a sitting position, his legs crossed and his hands held out the other end of the cable to Niko, his face had a calm yet serious expression.

Casting her gaze downwards, Niko briefly paused and thought about it, but since she had nothing else to lose, she decided to do it, this is a rare chance for her after all. A couple of seconds later, she looked back up, a cheerful expression graced her young face. "Sure! I'll trust you!" She said as she reached out for the cable's other end and doing the same thing as him, she plugged it on to her Neuro Linker and accepted the Notification Window menu that flashed on her peripheral vision.

At that time, Niko felt surges of flames inside her body as soon as she received and extracted the file on her Virtual Desktop, and it grew more warm as soon as she started the installation of the program she received from him, it's fiery flame-inspired font drowned her vision as it began it's slow creeping journey through the Loading Bar. Both of them waited patiently for it to finish, Niko was eager to try it out and he was nervous as it was his only chance to pass on his legacy.

After a couple of nerve-wracking minutes that seemed like eternity, Niko's eyes widened yet again at the sight of success.

"Welcome to the Accelerated World!" She read it out loud, sending a wide smile to his lips as he couldn't keep himself from trembling in excitement.

From that point on, Niko felt like she had finally found her meaning of existence, her will to live, a reason to exist. From that point on, she decided to live out her life for that sole purpose, a legacy she will carry. At that moment, she never thought that the strong bond they share, will be the very same bond that she will carry as a curse throughout her career inside the Accelerated World, her young mind still didn't have that much knowledge but, at that time, she felt alive.

And to her, that was everything.

"Cherry Rook... I... Will end this cycle of madness.. For you, I will..." Yuniko Kozuki silently said to herself as she walked towards the Arita residence.

* * *

"So, you're saying that... It regenerates?" The purple colored fox-mask wearing Duel Avatar asked as he stood up in surprise, his arms planted on to the table-like structure were they were all gathered around, catching everyone else's attention. "So how do you plan to beat it, Noir Eraser?" Akira Murasaki a.k.a Amethyst Maverick asked as he craned his gaze towards the sitting black avatar over at the table's head.

"Yeah, we're not mistaken, it definitely regenerated and moved as if it was nothing even after Miyu and my own attacks..." This time, Miyamori spoke up, her small body slumped on her seat in her usual cross-legged position, her voice still unsure whether or not it could really be called a Regeneration Ability or not, but because they saw it up close and personal, they couldn't be wrong about it. "Miyu, what do you think about it?" She asked the icy Duel Avatar sitting across her on the opposite side of the table.

Her temperament was close to a panic-ridden demeanor, as she remembered the events that unfolded earlier, her reckless actions almost jeopardizing the entire mission. She sulked on her seat as her hands slightly trembled underneath the table. "W-well... Yeah... I... Actually got so engrossed with the fight that I unconsciously fought with all my might and..."

Trying to regain her composure, she straightened her posture before continuing. "...After I spent a whole bar of Special Gauge, he was still standing and the injuries I inflicted were all healed by him."

"Hhmm... A peculiar ability huh... The Accelerated World doesn't have much of those things, and the only Avatar I know who has it is Master Noir here..." It came from Topaz Canopy, her bright yellow avatar shone amidst the dark surroundings of the sci-fi like room they were on, her frilly yellow dress flowed freely from her lithe frame and her sunny yellow parasol was closed and is currently slung over her shoulder. "Well that's going to be pretty annoying... Maybe we have to get him in one blow or something?" She added quizzically as she stared at the man sitting on the far end.

Even if no one could discern the 'eyes' of his Avatar as they were hidden underneath the jaw-like structure of his dragon styled helmet, everyone in the room could feel the intensity and the certain level of anger coming from him, his deep jet-black colored armor concealed his emotions like a mask. His hands were clasped together in front of him, his chin resting on top of his palms. He tilted his head slightly upwards, revealing a pair of dark red blood like 'eyes' that seemed to burn with hatred. "I... Wasn't really expecting that but, I am most grateful for the information, Miya and Miyu, you have done well." He said calmly yet his eyes showed different contrasting emotions.

Everyone in the vicinity had shivers running down their spine. Although he didn't really showed it, they felt it.

It was hatred.

The only thing he was proud of, and the Ability which brought him to where he is now; his EX Attack, Soul Eater, is an exceptional skill to have, as it healed his HP back as long as his weapon hits his target and given he has Special Attack Gauge levels. It even gave him the moniker "Vampire Noir" as his ability closely mimicked that of a vampire who drains the life of it's victims to extend his own. He was definitely proud of it and it is, most of the time, his trump card.

And in knowing that not only him possessed that unique ability, his pride was sullied once more, and as a result, he wasn't able to contain his anger anymore, his resolve and will to fight suddenly became flared up and it burned fiercely and brightly inside the dark armor he was wearing. Kenneth slowly stood up, noiseless as he went. He then faced his subordinates who was eagerly awaiting his decision.

"My friends, my family, my comrades..." Kenneth Kusanagi started slowly. "...Our Organization has grown much over the course of these past few months, and I thank each and everyone of you..." His voice was clear, strong and unwavering, worthy to be called a 'King'. "...However, it is not in my interest that we continue to hide behind the shadows of Nega Nebulas..." He continued, his hands gesturing with majestic motions. "...Now is the time for us to rise, to let the entire realm know our existence!"

The Council was taken by surprise as they didn't anticipate this at all, as they thought they were only a ragtag group of Burst Linkers who banded together to work in the shadows but, what their 'King' had in mind was a little bit different from what they assumed and all of them gasped at the idea, yet inside their hearts and mind, they all knew that this was to be their destiny, a calling.

Sensing her emotions brimming up, Miyuki stood up, all fired up as he heard her Master's proclamation, remembering her oath to him, to always follow him, until the end. "Let us rise up and let this realm know of our existence! This is all for the sake of bringing a conclusion to this world!" She flared up her words as she motioned her arms fabulously, her eyes darting back and forth between the other members and to Kenneth.

"She is right, my friends. My heart pains whenever I remember the time when I myself was driven away from the place I call 'home'. Comrades! This is the time to reclaim your lost honor, to exact your revenge against the people who casted you away!" Kenneth shouted at the top of his lungs, his arms extended wide in front of him and his voice reached out far and wide around the four corners of the room, the message was short yet, the meaning it gave off was deep and everyone was able to easily relate to it.

At first, everyone shot glances around, their gazes meeting as they go, there weren't any exchanges of words but they all communicated through their hearts, their inner voices telling them to break free from hiding and to let the world know about their existence, that they were able to live on, get stronger, and eventually be the ones to bring and end to this game, the goal all of them shared and desired.

Miyamori stood up, followed by Akira then Reika, all of them nodding to each other as they did, and even without exchange of words, they knew what everybody else wanted.

A smile formed on Kenneth's lips.

* * *

As Haruyuki Arita flew over the vast expanse of the modern looking, almost sci-fi terrain generated by the Unlimited Neutral Field, he was caught in awe, since it was his very first time diving into this unknown mode of Brain Burst, his eyes rapidly darted around the scenery around him as he, or rather, them flew across the dark city-scape. His thin arms held two ladies, the two Kings of the Red and Black Legions, Scarlet Rain and Black Lotus, while his best friend, Taku, Cyan Pile, was clinging on to his legs.

"This... Sure is different from the normal stage that we used to dive in..." He muttered in amazement as he continued to glide slowly in the air, his wing beating gently against the slight gust of wind at that blasted against them at the altitude they were in, which is almost three-fourths of the tallest skyscraper they could see.

"This is the Unlimited Neutral Field after all." The blue colored Duel Avatar clinging to his legs said as he looked up to him, his multiple slitted helmet he wore didn't show his eyes but he felt him looking at him. "The rules are... Pretty different here so I guess the creator did make a much different terrain for it..." He added, his huge pile-bunker Enhanced Armament withdrawn so he could hold onto Haru's legs and not fall off.

As he scavenged his mind for all the possible changes this world might have, his eyes fell on a huge hulk of moving mass that was slowly trekking in the distance, it's huge body making large prints on the ground as it went, and he could clearly conclude that it is alive and since it is too huge, he was also positively sure that it is not a Burst Linker, it's just too abnormal.

"Wh-what's that, sempai?" He glanced sidewards towards the black Duel Avatar which he is cradling on his arms, her purple goggle gave off a small glint as she looked up to him, her sword arms much shorter than before, probably she kept it on standby mode so she can hold on to him. "It's... Huge..." He added as he slowly circled in the air, surveying what the mass is, his wings glowing silver as he did.

"That's an 'Enemy'..." The dark Avatar Black Lotus answered, her gaze now pointed towards the thing that piqued Haru's interest before providing her answer. "Those are like the 'sentinels' of this space, let's say... Monsters that live here..." She added with a calm voice as she hugged Haru's arms closer, her Avatar's slim body in perfect match for his avatar's ripped slim physique.

After hearing the exchange, this time, the small red Avatar Haru held on his other arm held her head and spoke up. "They are spawns that only appear here, above, which helps Burst Linkers make points out of nothing..." She said while her large green eyes focused on Haru's similar colored helmet covered face. "...This is basically how Burst Linkers level up these days because of the 'No Invasion' treaty... And it is as slow as hell, and there's a big chance of danger, because they could get ambushed anytime.."

Just then, as he continued to circle in the vicinity, Haru noticed several fast-moving shadows rushing in from all directions, their weapons in hand, slashing and firing as they went, their target was the 'monster' in front of them which loosed a loud roar which then sent shock waves on the ground that almost knocked over a trio of rushing melee attackers who got caught in the radius, their weapons flung and their hands clasped their ears.

"Yeah, there's a lot of dangers to it, because those 'monsters' only yield minuscule amounts of Burst Points, and yet, the level of difficulty it's set on was particularly high so, it's not very rewarding in the first place, and in this realm, anyone can attack everyone freely, and the 'hunting parties' people create are more of a personal consensus they have with either their own Legion or personal connections because, if someone decides to backstab them, then they are all screwed..." Kuroyukihime said, her voice getting lower at the 'backstab' part.

"And besides, one cannot instantly log out here, we have to go to a 'Leap Point' to do so, which is situated kinda far from each other, so we are forced to fight our way out if ever battles break out." Taku said as he dangled and swayed while holding on to Haru's flimsy looking leg, which looked as if it can't support his bulky built Avatar. "...Oh and, if we die, we don't get logged out, instead, markers appear where you have fallen and a counter appears. After an hour, you revive if you still have remaining points and if none, it's going to be game over for you." He added with a serious tone.

Hearing those facts, Haru couldn't keep himself from gulping with his real life body behind his mask, thinking that it would be a ridiculous scene if a gang of Burst Linkers bunch up on a single Avatar, and continue doing so until he or she runs out of points, which basically terminates him from the game, forever. Wanting to get it out of his mind, Haru gathered all of his inertia and flapped his pair of silver wings harder, pushing the four of them faster forwards, leaving behind a scene of massacre in the background.

Haru continued to fly towards their destination for a while but a sudden zinging sound buzzed near his right cheek, a hot feeling was sent to his real life body. "AAAUUUGGGHHH!' He screamed in pain, doing his best to keep up his altitude, but the sudden pain sent to him made him waver as his body rocked and shook from the sudden pain and the Burst Linkers holding on to him latched on to him tighter.

"Haru! Let's land over there!" Taku shouted as his hands started sliding off Haru's legs as their altitude continued to spiral down. "AAAAAAHHHH!" Were the next sounds that came out of his mouth as his grip finally slipped, causing him to plummet down the couple of meters left until ground level, his large blue body tumbling down the crater they intended to land on to.

"Takuuuuuuu!" Haruyuki shouted as well in return as he saw his best friend careening down the pit as the two ladies he held on his hands started to feel unease. "S-Sempai? What now?" He asked the black avatar he held on his left, his green face plate gazed upon her purple colored goggle face with fear and confusion as multiples laser beams started to shoot them left and right, zinging past them as his silver wings strained themselves to both keep their altitude and dodge the incoming projectiles.

"Haru! Circle around and land over there!" Kuroyukihime replied as she pointed her left sword arm near the center of the blasted crater, on a pile of rubble that seemed tall enough to hide themselves. "Scarlet Rain! Let's jump off as soon as Haru touches down!" She added, glancing at the red avatar opposite her, earning a positive nod from it.

Hearing his Legion Master's orders, Haruyuki controlled his wings in a way that his body effortlessly glided in a circle while gradually decreasing his altitude, in this way, the incoming projectiles were dodged with minimal efforts and the ones that got through was either shot by Niko's red pistol or slashed by Kuroyukihime's sword. Luckily, none of them scored a direct hit, and after just a couple of seconds, he was able to land near the designated spot, seeing Cyan Pile with his big body leaning on the rubble as well.

"Oh Taku! Glad to see you're safe! I thought you were a goner earlier!" Haru said to his best friend as all of them slumped and bunched behind cover, their multi colored group continued to receive a barrage of bullets and lasers from the crater's mouth. "But, what's going on, I mean... Is this what I think this is, sempai?" He added with concern.

Kuroyukihime just threw a quick glance towards who their attackers were and just stayed silently, seemingly waiting for Niko to answer Haru's question. After a moment, as Niko herself decided to check the scene, she was greeted by a familiar looking Duel Avatar who then, with just a wave of his hand, made all the shelling stop, smoke rising from the ground, the place went back to it's dead quiet demeanor.

Haru, who was now peeking as well, was caught in awe again as he saw a glittering yellow Duel Avatar, it's color saturation far exceeded all the other yellow avatars he saw before, as it was as yellow as sunlight, almost as yellow as gold. In just one glance, he saw it's striking bold features; an abnormally thin body, his abdomen section was almost just half of his already thin torso in terms of girth, long arms which dangled quite limply, his right holding a baton like weapon, long legs on which he doesn't extend fully, and he was almost crouching. And the face, it's faceplate had the image of a clown, a happy smile forever fixated into it's lips, it's left eye had a purple star painted on it while the right was closed and arched upwards, enhancing it's 'happy' aura, and on top of it, two large horns protruded to the sides, and red balls hang on it's tips.

"YELLOW RADIO! YOU BASTARD!" Niko went out of her cover and stood face to face with the yellow Avatar whom she addressed as "Yellow Radio", her small figure unfazed even as the close to thirty other Burst Linkers gazed down on her. "SO THIS WAS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG! YOU SNEAKY BITCH!" She roared at the top of her lungs, her hands clenched in to a fist and she was trembling with rage all over.

Feeling all confused, Haru just crouched there, his head darting back and forth between the yellow avatar, to Niko, and to Kuroyukihime. "S-Sempai... W-what's going on?" He quietly asked the black avatar beside him who looked as if she didn't hear him as her attention was focused on to the one called 'Yellow Radio'. "Sem... Pai?" Haru nagged, his voice a little bit louder to catch her sway.

"That Avatar... That is the Yellow King, Yellow Radio." This time, Kuroyukihime answered without facing Haru, her voice was low and calm amidst the situation. "...So that was his plan all along huh..." She continued, trailing off as she started to stand up to show herself, motioning Haru and Taku to do the same.

"O ya o ya, Welcome, welcome. Welcome, Scarlet Rain and Black Lotus, welcome to my Carnival!" The yellow colored clown avatar spoke up, his malicious sounding voice echoed loudly. "Oh, allow me to welcome their companions as well, even if they are no more than annoying bugs. Bwahahahahahaha." He laughed like a maniac, in which Haru couldn't believe that the person behind it's control is almost around their own age.

"SHUT UP YOU FILTHY CLOWN! THIS WAS YOUR PLAN, RIGHT? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO CHERRY?" Her voice harsher than ever, Niko felt she was ignored so she barked out another set of question, her eyes behind her avatar furious, and she could feel her veins popping out on her slender neck.

"O ya o ya. I didn't do anything, I just gave him a quick nudge to his goal after all, bwahahahahaha!" Replied Yellow Radio, his insane laugh continued to ring in their ears which they found irritating.

"So, Yellow Radio, you're saying you obtained the Disaster Armor, hid it from us and gave it to Cherry Rook? Is that it?" Kuroyukihime said with a sharp voice, her gaze planted on the crazy looking clown on top of the crater. "You.. B-" She pursed her lips even before continuing the sentence as she felt a sharp pain searing through her chest.

"Ara? You... Are going to say I betrayed all of you? Hahahaha Black Lotus, I should be the one making you laugh, not the other way around!" Yellow Radio flailed his arms in the air after loosing another round of laughter.

"DON'T IGNORE ME YOU CLOWN!" Niko shouted yet again, interrupting the exchange between Black Lotus and Yellow Radio.

"Oh, Scarlet Rain, my darling, I am soooo sorry." The clown's voice have suddenly gotten weak. "But... I assume that Chrome... I mean, Cherry Rook is still part of the Red Legion, is he not? Then I believe he has caused one of my boy's retirement from this game, and I also believe that you know what that means, since we have a 'No Invasion' treaty, do you not? Kukukuku~" He chuckled creepily under his mask.

"BUT IF I CAN USE JUDGMENT BLOW TO ELIMINATE HIM, THEN THERE'S NO NEED TO GET ONE OF MY OWN, RIGHT?" Her voice unwavering, Niko proclaimed her desire to end this for his sake.

"O ya o ya, but as far as I've heard, you've already tried before, and you've dishearteningly lost... Awwww... And we are running out of time, I can't let this moment pass without getting back... And oh! What a coincidence, we have a Red Legion member here who we can kill as a substitute..." Retorted the clown, his eyes seemed as if it gave off a ferocious aura despite it's happy appearance.

"YOU... YOU BASTARD! SO YOU REALLY PLANNED THIS ALL ALONG!" Her anger peeked and she could no longer keep it in. "I... I WILL KILL YOU FIRST THEN I WILL END CHERRY'S PAINS! PREPARE YOURSELF, YELLOW RADIO! TODAY SHALL BE THE LAST DAY YOU ACCELERATE!"

"Do you really think you could win against the Carnival I gathered? Do you really think you could take on more than thirty Burst Linkers hungry for your head? HaHaAhahahHaHA!" Came Radio's devilishly toned reply, his arms flailing the baton he was holding around his head.

"I pity you, Yellow Radio. Have you forgotten that there is one more King present here?" Kuroyukihime butted in, her voice sharp and straight to the point as she thrusted her sword arm, pointed towards the yellow avatar.

"O ya o ya, don't fret, for I have a present for you, Black Lotus~~ AhahAhaAhAhHAHaHA!" The clown then flicked a card like looking object which stuck on the ground as it lit up, displaying holographic images in front of all of them.

"That is..." Were all the words Haru could say as he watched the events that unfolded before him.

"Zero File!" Niko puffed in disgust as the three dimensional scenes started to unfold before the four of them.

* * *

Display Start.

A red Duel Avatar walked in front of the scene, his stature was tall and the level of saturation his body had was concentrated, worthy of being called a King. "That's why I said..." He twirled around, facing the jet-black avatar behind him. "...That we should all cease fighting, and we should live in peace and harvest the benefits of this wonderful game!" He continued, his arms gesturing in a grandiose manner. "My heart pains at the thought the one day, you and me might have to fight, and I, out of everybody else, wants to be your friend... Not only in-game, but also in the outside world!" He added as he leered close to the avatar before him.

"That... Surely is convenient." The jet black avatar replied, her gaze faltered and she looked away for a bit in hesitance before glancing back to the red one. "...And I... Want to be your friend as well... And I, want to meet you too, in the real world, just to tell you... That I like you." She finished strongly as she stuck out her chest, proudly standing before the fiery red avatar standing adjacent to her.

"Oi, you can't be serious about that!" In a short distance, a vivid purple avatar slammed her wand-like weapon on the ground, making a loud wham. "Red Rider! What's all this crap about wanting to meet her huh?" She angrily snarled towards the red avatar who was surprised and held up his hands in the air.

"I-it's n-not like that! I swear, it's not like that!" The one addressed as Red Rider replied frantically, his voice seemingly afraid from the purple one. "A-anyway, Black Lotus, I don't want to end up fighting you, or everybody else around here, therefore I propose a 'No Invasion' treaty to assure this world's prolonged existence... What do you say?"

The Seven Pure Colored Kings stayed silent.

After a few seconds, Black Lotus stepped up and spoke out.

"It's certainly a good idea..." She inched closer and closer towards Red Rider. "...And it's something that we might be able to agree on." Her feet hovered several inches above the ground and her sword arms were retracted, and they were now on a relaxed position beside her.

"So... Does this mean we won't be fighting anymore, Black Lotus?" Red Rider held out his right arm to shake... "...Ooohh yeah, sorry..." Which he then quickly retracted as he remembered Black Lotus didn't have 'hands' that he can shake, and it's place were extremely sharp blades that can cut through almost anything, and he doesn't want to get his hand and arm cut off right now.

"It's fine... At least I can do this..." Black Lotus came just a few centimeters besides Red Rider, as if they could even feel each other's breath, and they looked like an intimate couple. A few seconds later, her sword arms closed over his neck in an embracing position.

"OI! BLACK LOTUS! GET OFF RIDER RIGHT NOW!" The purple colored King shouted in anger as she saw what happened in front of her, her large wood-like wand pointed towards the jet-black avatar and her free hand was balled into a fist. "RIDER! GET OFF HER NOW!" She added as she looked like she was in an extremely jealous state.

"D-don't worry... This is just her way of showing appreciation... Aha~ha~ha~ha" Red Rider casually laughed as he threw a quick glance at the jealous Purple King.

But then...

"Death by Embrace." Black Lotus whispered a command near Red Rider's ear in which, he didn't immediately understood, and in that split second of a moment...

Red Rider wasn't able to even react, and he didn't even knew what happened or what hit him.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Purple King fell to her knees, her staff lying on the ground, her voice wailed loudly at the sight of Red Rider's head, being cut off his shoulders, landing on the ground.

The scene died down.

End of Display.

* * *

Silence reigned over the entire battlefield even as the smoke from the earlier barrage continued to rise from the battered landscape. "N...N-no... R-red..." Were the last words Kuroyukihime a.k.a Black Lotus muttered weakly before her Duel Avatar collapsed on the ground with a loud clanking sound, it's as if her power source was suddenly cut off because it seemed like it was so sudden and was against her will. Her jet-black avatar with sword limbs lie completely sprawled on the ground, defenseless.

"Kuroyukihime-sempai!" Haru rushed over to her side, his silver arms reached behind her metal body and lifted her off the dirty ground, her limp head thrown sidewards from her shoulders that looked like it was about to snap anytime soon, it's usually lit up purple goggles had no lights on it, as if it was dead. "Sempai! Sempai! Kuroyukihime sempai! Wake up!" He started shaking the lifeless avatar, producing more clanking sounds.

"AHaHAhahHaHAhAhAH! Splendid! Perfect! AhAhHaHaHahA! So your betrayal 2 years ago still weighs heavily inside your heart! HAhAhHAhAh!" The Yellow Clown King jumped up and down in joy, his hands clapping in joy above his head. "I always thought that you are binded to those events and that they will one day be the cause of your downfall! HAahHaHaHAhAHa!" He added as he continued carrying his act gleefully.

"Sempai! Sempai! What happend to you?" Haru continued to shake the lifeless metal body of Black Lotus, frantically trying to revive his Legion Master. "Open your eyes! Sempai! BLACK LOTUS!" He added with a voice of despair and hopelessness.

"It's useless, Crow..." The red avatar told Haru, her voice with an aura of disgust as she gazed down the silver and black Duel Avatars kneeling on the ground. "...A Burst Linker without the will to fight won't be able to move his or her own Duel Avatar. Right now, Lotus has lost her will to fight therefore her Avatar has gone into a Hibernate mode." Niko continued, her pair of large green eyes shifted it's gaze back to Yellow Radio.

"B-but... Sempai..." Haru spoke as tears started to build up on the corner of his eyes, his hands were trembling and sweat started dripping down from his brow. After a short while, the Yellow King began to speak, catching all of their attention.

"Now we only have one King to bother about. Boys, the prey is cornered, she is nothing but an immobile fortress that won't be able to do anything once you close in! Charge! Charge and wipe her off the face of this world! Oh, and Kill the small fries as well!" The clown bellowed the order, and as soon as his thin arm came down, the battle cries of the thirty plus Burst Linkers resounded loudly as the close range Avatars started rushing in and the long range ones started shelling the area below them.

The three remaining Burst Linkers on the opposite dies, Silver Crow, Cyan Pile and Scarlet Rain realized what was about to happen and all of them had one thing in mind at that time.

"""RUUUUUUUUUN!""" The trio shouted in unison as the first shells that were fired exploded inches from where they are, their legs acted instantaneously, dashing as quick as they can, with Scarlet Rain leading, followed by Silver Crow who held Black Lotus in his arms, and last came Cyan Pile, his hulking blue body towering over the two in front of him.

"We just need to reach the crater's mouth and we're safe!" Haru exclaimed as he steadily ran as fast as he could, his arms closely cradling the lifeless black body of Kuroyukihime, and there was intense pressure in his tone.

"But at this rate..." Scarlet Rain barked back, her lithe body leading the escaping pack. "...We're going to be smithereens before we get there!" She added with a snarled voice.

At the distance, one could see the yellow clown just standing there, surrounded by the long range avatars that pumelled the field, and seeing that the trio fleeing the scene, he got ticked off. "HahahAhHAHAHAhAh! Get lost inside a world of deceit! Silly Go 'Round!" At the same time he muttered his command, he raised both his hands up and his baton emitted a brilliant yellow light which spread around the area, enveloping the entire crater in yellow light with the images of a horse carousel spinning around.

In that instant, the world, or rather, the space around them twisted and turned, their vision spun around and all of them lost balance, collapsing on their knees to the ground.

"N-Niko... T-Taku... W-what's g-going o-on?" Held down by the intense gravitational pull and disoriented by the spinning scenario around him, Haru struggled to cough up his words as he continued to hold the fallen Kuroyukihime in his arms, away from harm.

"Y-yellow Radio.. He's a... Yellow, so most likely... His skills are indirect types... Or in short... Used for incapacitating an opponent..." Niko replied as she herself struggled under the grip of the field, her vision starting to get the better of her as she collapsed on the ground, her small body protected by Haru, who in turn was protected by Cyan Pile.

"AAAAGGGGHHHH!" Taku howled in pain as he got hit by a laser on his back, the intense feeling of pain being absorbed by his real life body. "AAAARRRRRGGHHH HARU! STAY DOWN!" Shell after shell pummeled his bulky blue body who was keeping the silver, red and black avatars under him protected from harm. "Th.. This.. is nothing... This... Is punishment for... What I did... Before... AAAAAAAHHH!" Taku's armor started to disintegrate, scraps of them scattered before them.

"TAKUUUU! You don't have to punish yourself!" Haru growled back, obviously despaired and in dismay at the situation.

"You... The three of you... Need.. To finish this... Ha.. Haha..." Taku replied, getting weaker and weaker as the shells poured endlessly on his broad back.

"Cyan Pile... I take back what I said to you before..." Niko said in a low voice. "...You're not only a glasses character. You are a good comrade. 30 seconds more, just 30 seconds more until Radio's skill ends! Hang on!"

Cyan Pile didn't replied and just nodded as he continued to bear the pain from the barrage of hailstorm that constantly rained down on him, his armor gradually shattering here and there, his helmet's slits opened one by one, exposing deep blue eyes.

Suddenly, a loud thumping noise rang, followed by deep grunts.

"You... Are nothing but a big wall, nothing else..." A larger blue avatar hulked behind Taku, as his own cyan blue body was raised up, a large, round stake embedded in his torso.

"TAAAKKKUUU!" As Haru glanced backwards, he panicked as he saw the scene behind him; his best friend impaled and was gasping for his life, a close range melee Avatar piercing him from behind, skewering his torso and raising him up.

"Remember the name Sax-" The one who pierced Taku began to spoke but was soon cut as the avatar he pierced began to howl back.

"Shut up! I don't need your name!" Taku roared, his right hand grasping the stake that pierced him to add leverage. "Split the heaven and earth! Lightning Cyan Spike!" A brilliant blue light flashed from the pile bunker on his left hand, a split second later, a silver spike thundered out of it's barrel, impaling the avatar in front of him, shattering it's chest armor, cleaving it in half, skewering through and through.

The scene stayed like that for a few seconds.

"Haru... Protect... Master..." Were the last words Cyan Pile, Takumu Mayuzumi muttered before his avatar shattered into blue pixels, a towering blue light shone on the spot where he was, beside a greenish blue one, a sign that he was able to take down the one who took him down.

Haru and Niko were both dumbfounded, their lips pursed and their bodies lumped on the ground, a few seconds later, Yellow Radio's special skill ended, their vision restored to normal as the world stopped spinning.

"Silver Crow..." Niko slowly stood up, her small red body covered in dust and soot. "...Take Black Lotus and run, you should be able to make it to the Leap Point at this rate." She softly said as she walked back, towards the center of the crater. "I... Don't really like running away you know, so I will stand my ground here." Niko stubbornly added, the air behind her twisting and a red light could be faintly seen.

Still shaken from the entire ordeal they went through, the events that transpired and the facts that were revealed, Haru's legs were still shaking, yet his heart raged with anger and determination, a flame burning deep inside him told him to push forward, not to run, but to vanquish the people who stands before him, his survival instincts activating, the savage, natural and primitive urge to fight and live on, it all surged inside his veins.

"Run? Hahahaha, Niko, you must be joking." Haru replied as he placed the fallen Black Lotus in a sitting position, near the rubbles near him. "You want me to run and leave you behind? Me, leaving a girl behind? Me, leaving a friend?" He carried on as he started cracking his knuckles. "...You have got to be joking. We're all in this, and we all get out of this."

Her real life face flushed a little bit with the words she heard, as she didn't anticipate them, specially coming from Haru. Niko was surprised that she was at a loss for words briefly, her heart panicking as she pursed her lips. "W-what are you saying you idiot? So you would wasted Cyan Pile's sacrifice for you guys to get a chance to run?" She replied angrily.

"Niko... My Legion Master, I mean, Kuroyukihime has thought me, that running away is a dishonorable thing to do, as a Burst Linker..." Haru answered back gently, without a hint of sarcasm nor anger. "...And that I should fight all the challenged that come my way, and by doing so, I'll be one step closer to my dreams, so..." The space behind him began to sunder, and in an instant, a brilliant flash of silver white light flooded the expanse before a pair of wings sprouted from his back, with feather-like substances scattering around. "...As your friend, I will help you, and I will destroy all the ones that opposes you! Let's go, let's finish this once and for all, Niko!" With a resounding cry, Silver Crow flapped his pair of silver wings, lifting him off the ground.

What he said was true. Running, will always be frowned upon, a dishonorable action. Yes, he is right. Crow is right.

"Ah, yeah, that's right. What King am I to even think of running. Hahahahahaha." Niko stretched her arms before continuing. "Dominate! Enhanced Armament! Immobile Fortress!" As she uttered the phrase, a ring-shaped faint red light started to form behind her, and just seconds after, a gigantic red tank-like armament surfaced out of nothingness and started enveloping her small body, her arms going inside hollow tubes which connected to large cannons, and a thick cable linked up with her back, as the red colored iron armament enclosed around her.

"Now, you will personally experience the wrath, THE WRATH OF THE RED KING!" Niko bellowed as she opened fire, the large twin cannons firing in unison as multiple missile pods opened up and released a salvo of seeker rockets, steadily homing into the multitudes of targets before her. "Oi Crow! You go get the ones that circle around me, I'll pulverize all these flies!" She added, throwing a fit glance backwards to the winged warrior behind her.

"Roger that!" Came a confirmation from Haru, as he began swooping down, performing a powered punch against one of the avatars closing in behind Scarlet Rain, the avatar who connected his fists was sent tumbling down into the distance.

Briefly landing, he was pulled in towards the opposite direction, his feet dredging up the dirt. "A fatal attraction! Magnetic Vortex!" Shouted the grayish gaudy looking avatar who stood opposite to Haru, his hands holding an object that looks like an over sized magnet, it's tip emitting static. "Hahahaha! It's so easy sucking in Metal colors! Hahahaha! You're mine!" He added as Haru's back came in contact with his weapon.

"Like I care!" Irritated because he got sidetracked, Haru grunted a reply before gathering up energy focused on his back, his wings glowing bluish white in the process as heat started building up on it. "Wanna try flying?" He sarcastically added as he released his stored energy, his wings exploding with a flash of white as it flapped hard, kicking both Silver Crow and the gray Duel Avatar who held him in place using his magnet.

"H-hey! Let me down!" Came the panicked startles of the gray one, his arms clinging tightly on to his weapon. "M-my special attack lasts only 20 sec- AAAHHH!" Were the last sounds that came from him as his gauge expired, the magnetic power ceasing, releasing it's grip upon the metallic Silver Crow, his own body plummeting to the ground, which then exploded in a gray flash before being marked with a Grave Marker.

*SHHHHHHRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The sound of large rocket funnels rampaging in the air reached Haru's ears, and as he craned his head towards Niko, a whole fleet of salvoed missiles came thundering for her. "Niko! Missiles dead ahead!' He warned the red fortress as he remembered that her only discernible trait while in this mode is being an 'immobile fortress', meaning she can't dodge incoming attacks and she would require either intercepting them or having someone shield her, with the latter being impossible.

"I know!" Came the loud reply of the little girl inside the huge fortress, her towering voice seemed as if it came from a larger source. "UUUUUOOOOOHHHHHH!" She howled as she released another full barrage of her own missiles from the pods to the side skirt armor of her Enhanced Armaments, their loud roar pierced the heavens as they made their trajectory to counter the incoming wave of attacks...

But in that instant, just mere seconds before impacting, Scarlet Rain's missiles spun out of control, and none of them hit anything, their trajectories completely derailed and they all flew out of course, much to the shock of both Haru and Niko.

The enemy's missiles continued it's flight path, unhindered by anything, and it just a matter of seconds, they crashed on to the immobile fortress' side, burning through the armor and leaving a large black mark, smoking as heaps of iron fell out, accompanied by the screams and wails of the girl encased inside, as waves of real-life pain flared on her body, her eyes dilated and beads of sweat dripped down.

"C-Crow... Th-they're... Jamming me... Find... The one causing it... It's... One of the yellows..." Was the weak response that came from Niko, a clot of blood forming on her lips where she bit herself.

"NIKOO!" Was Haru's immediate response, his wings fluttered as he glided over towards the red fortress. "Are you okay? Damn it!" He grunted as he continued to try and contain the melee attackers from reaching the Red King.

"Not so fast!" Bellowed the brownish shaded avatar who towered before Haru, it's upper torso built like a mountain and it's arms were pumped up with metallic muscles, despite his size, he moved quick, able to close in to the winged warrior in just seconds, his massive biceps grasping Haru's small framed body, bear-hugging it briefly, squeezing the air out of him before supplexing him, sending his avatar flying towards the crater's opposite side.

The armies sent to destroy Niko continued to close in, Haru clearly saw it in his own eyes as he stumbled and flipped roughly, pain levels soaring throughout his body. He clearly saw the avatars as they ravaged Scarlet Rain's Enhanced Armament, tearing down heaps of metal off it's outer carapace, each one sending screams from the girl within, her voice no longer condoned that of a little girl, but one of a wailing person.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Came one last scream from her cherry colored real-life screams, as one managed to snag off it's left cannon, snapping it off the external armor before throwing it away, at the same time, Niko's left arm snapped off and was twisted violently, pain shooting in her system, akin to loosing an arm in real-life. Then there was silence, even as more and more swarmed her from all directions.

"Kukuku! Feel the warmth of life! Impulse Shocker!"

"N-Niko... AAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!" As Silver Crow desperately tried to crawl his way back, a sudden flash of purple light sundered his efforts as violent electric sparks rocked his body, massive waves of pain suddenly flooded his senses, dulling it, his limbs loosing feeling, numbing which made him collapse on all fours to the ground, helpless, his right hand outstretched to the distant, trying to reach the far-off Niko. As pain continued to torment his avatar and his real life body, Haru's senses began to fade out, he felt his power waning slowly. "Is... This... The end? S-sempai... A-are y-you... Satisfied... Wi-with th-this? Seeeeeeempaaaaaaaiiiiii!" He shouted towards the incapacitated Kuroyukihime, albeit, getting no response.

"This... It shouldn't... End like... This... Shit, I'm... Too weak... Shit shit shit shit shit... Some... One... Someone... Help... I... Can't... Anymore..." We the last silent few words that Haru was able to say before...

"I have heard and acknowledged." A small explosion thundered a little off from where they were, catching all of the Burst Linkers attention.

"Long have I watched the same error committed by humankind. Long have I watched in dread from behind the shadows, as people continued to drag each other down. Long has my heart been in pain from such atrocity. But those are by-gone days. Today, we march out, and end this twisted and damned world..." A charismatic voice echoed throughout the battlefield.

Just a little bit beyond the crater, on a raised platform like structure, emerged seven shadows, slowly walking towards the limelight.

"...We are the 7th Rift. People without power, seek us. People with power, fear us!" The lone avatar standing in the center said in a low yet powerful voice, his speech stopping the action all around the area, the combatants dropping whatever they were doing to listen.

"We. Shall judge this world." Were the last few words the jet-black avatar spoke of before his long black spear was thrusted forwards, his companions taking the cue, readying their own weapons before charging forwards.

"Wh-what farce is this?" Was the angered Yellow Radio's rebuttal as he stomped his feet on the ground repeatedly. "Who in the world are they? Allies of Nega Nebulas? Friends of the Red Legion?" He sounded scared and frustrated as his plans started to crumble before him, his long-awaited plotted revenge slowly shattering in front of him. Yellow Radio gestured to the remaining forces he had to meet the charging rogues.

Two streaks of silverish light ravaged both left and right flanks, their weapons slashing wildly, as they stormed the ranks of Burst Linkers that stood complacent, unsure of what to do. The deadly duo of Icicle Rage and Mercuric Void complimented each other in perfect unison, their deadly dance destroying all the opposition they meet, with sparks, ice and mercury flying in a flamboyant display of dominance.

Rapidly cleaning up the survivors around that they missed, was Amethyst Maverick, his quick light steps permitted him supreme mobility, dashing in and out of effective combat range, dazzling his opponents in a haze of quick attacks from his straight edged Ninjato, and they never knew what hit them as they all fall one after the other, his blade slicing through the thickest of armor like hot knife through butter.

Backing up the forward team was Topaz Canopy, her frilly dress swaying back and forth as she made minuscule movements behind the team, her cute yellow frilled parasol constantly twirling in front of her, raining down curses on the enemy to render them helpless in the face of the Rift's onslaught, disabling them helpless to await judgment that will cost them precious Burst Points. With a wink, she proceeded to entrance more opponents in her own limelight.

As Haruyuki Arita continued to lay lifeless, hampered down by the pulsating electric wave procured by the Duel Avatar before him who held a large, transformer-like weapon strapped to his back, he was surprised as the tingling feeling was suddenly taken off, and as he looked up, the avatar who held him in check was nowhere to be found, and a blue armored warrior with green inlays stood towering before him, his fists holding the neck of his nemesis, as he looked behind him, he could see a similar-looking avatar which had the same features, yet the other had red armor with black inlays, and he was picking off the avatars which started climbing on to Niko's back, his throwing knives accurately hitting distant targets.

All the while, the one who rolled out the speech just stood on the platform where they emerged, his dragoon-like jet-black armor with red inlays on the joints loomed eerily as he remained rooted on his place like a sentinel, his hands crossed in front of his slender body as he continued to watch the carnage that he started.

Haru steadily regained his footing, as he was able to muster strength to rest on one knee, with the blue-green avatar silently guarding him. After a while, he crawled over to where his fallen Legion Master is, reaching her, he gently placed his left arm under her, picking her up and holding her close to himself. "Sempai... Sempai... Please, wake up... Our prayers have been heard... We are saved..." He whispered into her ear, leering closer to her. "...I.. Didn't knew that what happened before really burdened you... I... Didn't knew... I'm.. Such an idiot... I'm sorry... I... Just wasn't sure and..."

"...You make it sound like me and Rider were lovers." Came a weak yet confident reply from the fallen black avatar.

"Huh? Sempai!" Was what first came out of Haru's surprised lips. "Bu-but... Wait, you aren't?" He added, obviously dumbfounded.

The almost lifeless looking black body of the Accelerated World's most wanted Burst Linker, Black Lotus started to tense up, a purple like aura starting to formulate and swirl around her slim body as she effortlessly utilized her avatar's propulsion system to propel herself up in a standing position, her purple goggles once again shone with light as a pair of same-colored eyes sparkled within, her body absorbed the freckles of purple light, empowering her avatar's joints and mechanical interns. Stretching her sword arms, she outstretched them and out came those long, sharp black and gleaming blades that reeked of destruction.

"Uh, no. I already told you that you are the very first person that made my heart beat like this." Kuroyukihime said sternly, as if chastising the silver avatar who was still kneeling on the ground. "...And just how long are you going to lie like that? Come on, those guys... Whatever name they call themselves, they are stealing our spotlight. Let's go!" She told Haru as she sprinted off towards the remaining ramparts of the hunting group.

That was when Kenneth made his move.

The howling black dragoon-like avatar descended down the steep slope from the platform, hands firmly clutching his demonic black spear, his figure slid smoothly in-spite of the rugged terrain, his speed was terrifying, as he needed only a couple of seconds to close in to...

*CLAAAANG!*

The sound of clashing metal blades echoed far and wide, Kuroyukihime's sword met Kenneth's spear. As the two black weapons entwined with each other, both of their black bodies exerted force incomparable strength behind them, Black Lotus' propulsion system pushed to it's limits, her back trailing off purple stardust, while Noir Eraser's thrusters exhausted dark red luminous material, forming wings of lights behind him.

"So, you're also opposing me now? Kenneth Kusanagi, Child of Chloe Kusanagi?" Black Lotus replied coldly as she continued to parry her opponent's blade. "Step aside, I have business to finish. We will do this next time." She added with a low voice that would only be audible to the both of them.

"Black Lotus. Tell me. How should a 'member' of Nega Nebulas live his life if he is one who detests his own Legion?" Kenneth answered her statement wit ha question, earning him a posed and puzzled look from her.

"It's a stalemate, my young child. There is a reason why he hates his homeland, and I am a hundred percent sure that there are also reasons why his homeland rejected him." Replied Black Lotus, their blades still drawn into a status quo. "What lies behind every mask, is a face. A face that reveals everything. Kenneth, I know we have the same goal, and I am not holding you back, should you want to excel far beyond what I am... But... I cannot allow nor tolerate hurting people of your own Legion!" Kuroyukihime broke off the equilibrium as she struck using her left sword arm, causing Kenneth to parry it using the other end of his spear.

The two black avatars created distance between them, weapons still at the ready.

"Hahahahaha. You never fail to amuse me, Black King." Kenneth answered back, letting his guard down. "While it is true that I want to surpass you, and eventually bring an end to this world, it is not my intention to go up against your team, no, at least, not now." He continued as the battlefield was continued to be wiped clean by his subordinates. "That's why..."

Noir Eraser backed off, his feet carrying him swiftly near the proximity of the stricken down Red King. "...You should be the one to finish this farce." He then pointed his spear towards the panicking Yellow Radio, catching his attention as he struggled to keep his 'army' in control. "Go! And end this nightmare for your Legion. We shall stand guard and make sure no one interferes, and by my honor, I will cut down everyone who dares interrupt." Kenneth ended his statement by flicking his spear to the ground, closely watching his surroundings as his guys finished up moping the area and retreating back to the platform where they emerged.

Black Lotus turned her back towards Noir Eraser, confident that he will not back stab her, her eyes trained and focused on Yellow Radio.

Frozen, Yellow Radio stopped moving, his actions halted. "A-ah... Black Lotus, how impudent of you!" He pointed his golden yellow baton towards her. "I have given you the chance to watch this Carnival of mine yet you decided to steal my spotlight! Unforgivable! Truly unforgivable! I always knew that you carried the sin of betrayal heavily in your heart, but I never knew you were that heartless in the first place!" He protested loudly, stomping his feet. "And now you intend to do it again? To me of all people?"

"Ha... Ha... Haha... Hahahaha... Hahahaha!" Black Lotus giggled under her faceplate. "Yellow Radio, you really are a clown, you're making me laugh sooo freakin' hard!" After laughing, her expression suddenly changed to a serious tone as she pointed her sword arm to Radio's chest. "Do you really think that your life means much to me compared to Rider's?"

She assumed a fighting stance. "Yellow Radio, let me tell you something..." She furiously took off, her avatar gliding through the area very quickly.

All the eyes of the Burst Linkers left standing focused and trained on to the yellow and black avatars, vividly watching what will happen, as it is the very first time in the Accelerated world that two Level 9 Pure Colored Kings will ever engage in battle. "Oi Crow, watch closely, this is the first time this will happen, embed it into your pea sized brain!" The stricken down Niko told Haru as he landed beside her, opposite Noir Eraser. Silver Crow heading the advice, watching every movement as the fight started to rage.

"...I HATED YOU EVER SINCE THE DAY I MET YOU!"

Roared Black Lotus as her first slash connected and was parried by Radio's baton, sparks flying as they traded blows faster than the eyes of Haruyuki could process.

The two opposing Burst Linkers with contrasting colors that didn't compliment each other well danced in a deadly waltz, blitzing their way through the battlefield in a dazzling display of melee combat, golden sparks scattered, mixed in with purple exhaust coming from Black Lotus' propulsion system, zigzagging patterned moves haphazardly done by both combatants, trying to outwit and out-maneuver each other.

After they exchanged the last, strong blow, they distanced themselves from each other as they began to assume a different posse.

Kenneth crossed his arms in front of him again, de-materializing his spear as he watched in earnest, along with the rest of the 7th Rift.

"Crow, watch more closely. Both of them now has full Special Attack Gauges, and I believe they will decide the victor with their EX Attacks..." Niko spoke to Haru who was still watching in awe, dumbstruck at the exchange he just witnessed. "Most likely, Black Lotus' will be a close-ranged melee attack, while Yellow Radio's would be a disrupting one, and probably, this will all boil down as to who's attack will land first." She added as she too, watched with full attention.

The two Burst Linkers glared at each other, eyes full of hatred and disgust towards each other.

"Silly go..."

"Death by..."

Black Lotus' sword arm started to gather purple aura around it, violently swirling like a mass of miasma, while Yellow Radio's baton opened up at the tip, exposing a brilliant golden yellow gem that he held up high as it started to glow eerily.

And just then...

"Ugh... UGGGAAAHHH!" Came Yellow Radio's grunted and muted cough, as he looked down upon his slender torso, which was pierced by a copper colored sword that almost severed him in half, yellowish fluid started to drip down his upper body as his arms and legs started to tremble as he was hoisted slowly up into the air, the blade sliding deeper and deeper, gorging the wound into an almost wide, open crevasse.

All eyes was trained on the monstrous dark gray colored monstrosity that appeared behind the Yellow King, his hulking figure towered over the already tall clown, his sword impaling the hapless avatar which almost sliced him in half. He then loosed a loud roar as he further raised his victim high up, the sword inching deeper and deeper, it's as if he was screaming in triumph.

Kenneth pursed and bit his lower lip as he re-materialized his dark cursed spear, gesturing towards his subordinates to back off.

He already knew this is going to be more bloody and painful as he already predicted.

* * *

A/N: Aahh yeah, finally done with this lengthy chapter which took me almost ten days to work on, well as usual, hampered by work and games. Yeah, more Code Geass reference here, as well as canon scenes so yeah. I hope you guys don't get tired reading because I've got more ideas to throw, as I've discussed with my friends who gave me silly-sounding thoughts which I plan to iron out and use as material. Anyways, my hats off to the avid followers of this fic as well as the people who take the time to write a review, even anons! Thank you everyone and please do look forward to more!

PS: I've made no progress with my Hidan No Aria fic because... My friend who usually helps me write it by pointing out specific stuff is now sick and is confined to the hospital, I hope she gets out soon.

PSS: I'm thinking of making a Sword Art Online fic too, does it sound good? Let me know!


	11. Chapter 11 Defragment

**Chapter Ten: "Defragment"**

* * *

The happy face Yellow Radio always donned became a twisting image of pain and agony as his body was ravaged by the searing flames of pain while yellowish liquid dribbled down from his mouth. "Uuggghhh... Gaahhh..." Radio grunted, his breathing hoarse as he gasped for air. "B... Bast... Ard..." Scowling, he slowly turned his head around, witnessing the monster open it's gaping jaw, brandishing a set of ragged fangs perfectly inlaid in a void-like darkness.

"UUUUUUUOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!" Was the loosed growl that came from the monstrosity, spittle scattering and all as he leered closer, readying to devour the yellow king which he held skewered before him, his large copper sword embedded deep within his slim torso.

Everyone's gaze was steadied on the scene before them, no one dared move, no one interfered and no one tried to help, their muscles paralyzed by fear of the unknown.

Slowly loosing his grip on the golden yellow baton he still held, Yellow Radio still had enough steam to utter one last command from his pain riddled body. "Deceit... Firecracker..." His baton began glowing faintly, the gem inlaid in the middle emitted waves of smoke and after just mere milliseconds, his body disappeared in a flash of haze, instantly teleporting him a short distance away, free from the horrible clutches of the huge sword.

"Haaah... Haaah... Crypt Cosmic Circus... Fall... Back..." He bellowed deeply, signaling the retreat of his Legion, his left hand holding his abdomen where he was struck, while his right gestured towards the opposite direction, commanding the remnants of his assault group to the general direction of the Leap Point towards safety. His gaze then darted from the hulk of an avatar, then to Black Lotus, ending to Scarlet Rain's. "You.. Dare ruin... My plans... Hahahaha. But never mind, this... Monster will devour the lot of you! HAhAhAhAhHAHAhAhAh!" He said as his limping figure began to fall back as well, laughing maniacally as he did.

After seeing the retreat of Yellow Radio, Scarlet Rain then purged her battered Enhanced Armament, ejecting his small avatar in to the arms of Silver Crow who promptly catched her and placed her back to the ground.

"That stupid clown... Turning tails when the odds are against him... What a coward!" She complained to Haru who was still staring blankly into the dark gray monster.

Black Lotus then circled off, creating a wide gap between her and the monster who just barged in, noticing it's rabid werewolf-like features. "Chrome... Disaster..." Kuroyukihime said in a low voice as she relaxed a little bit, her feet together, lifted a few inches above the ground. "...What a pitiful existence... For this terrible thing to happen... Part of it is my fault... I... Am sorry..." She added in earnest as she slowly assumed a fighting stance. "Haru, back me up, we are going to ease this guy's pains."

A few meters from her, Haruyuki Arita stood silently beside Yuniko Kozuki, their avatars battered and dirty, yet still standing. But Haru, Silver Crow's knees were trembling, as his hands felt numb, he can't answer back to Kuroyukihime. "I... Have to fight... Against that monster?" He said to himself as he casted his gaze downwards. "...But I... Am weak... I can't do anything, I'm... Useless... I'm... Not needed, a burden... I'm... Not fit to become one of Nega Ne-"

"HARUYUKI ARITA!" Shouted Black Lotus, her head craned towards Silver Crow. "What is the difference of winning and losing to you?" She asked Haru, who was beginning to doubt himself and wallow in self-pity, as it was her first time seeing this happening to him, she spoke with a gentle yet an enforcing form of voice, making sure it reaches him and wakes him up from his self-induced nightmare.

To Silver Crow, whose wings were folded back into his back, Kuroyukihime's thoughts and feelings didn't reached his heart, he was fixated on one thing, and that was the shame of not being able to live up to her expectations, not being able to do what he was asked to do; which is to protect her from harm, and he was pitying himself for being in this sort of state, a weak, useless and disposable pawn.

He was beginning to lose his will to fight, as he began to lose the feelings from his leg, steadily creeping out to his torso and arms.

"Haru, winning and losing are just opposite sides of the same coin..." Doing her best to pull Haru out of the quicksand, Kuroyukihime drifted closer to him, even as Chrome Disaster began chasing down the retreating Yellow Legion, she didn't mind them. "...Whether you lose or you win, you will always be mine, and that's it..." She whispered in to Haru's ear as she embraced his slender body, taking care not to get too close.

"So you guys didn't knew that victory is a sweet sin built on the pains of the defeated?" An eerie voice loomed before them, behind Scarlet Rain who was now down to one knee, holding what's left of the stump on her left arm. "Those who win will always carry the wishes of the defeated on their backs, forever cursing them to burden the things that they don't needed." It was Noir Eraser, his jet-black avatar loomed out from the darkness of the rubbles, his figure slowly drifting, spear held parallel to his body, he moved without malice and intention to kill.

Kenneth lightly tapped Haru by the shoulder, him earning a surprised look from both Kuroyukihime and Niko. "It's not about winning or losing, it's about doing what you know is right, fighting for what you believe, and making sure your resolve does not waver, even in the face of certain defeat." He further surprised Black Lotus and Scarlet Rain as he whispered those words to Haru, who then showed small concise movements in his limbs. "It's all about facing your fears. Being 'Fearless' is not about not having any form of fear at all, but it is the courage to stand up to what you fear the most, and come running to it." He added as he shook Silver Crow's shoulder, the mechanical noises emitted by him signaled his response.

Haru's heart trembled as he heard Kenneth's words, which pierced through his wavering resolve, shaking his very will. He realized that his words didn't meant any harm, and they were genuinely formulated from experience, as the weight of his words bore heavily upon his troubled self. He began to feel a warm, surging light emanating from deep within his persona, wanting to burst out, his senses coming back to life, as he raised his head, still feeling a little bit light, but energized from the sudden energy burst he felt.

Kenneth's lips curled up as he saw Haru's green helmet raise up with renewed vigor, his arms crackled as he stretched them, and the surge of aura that's starting to circulate in his back was a mark that his confidence was going back to normal levels.

"...Haru?" Still caught off guard by the turnaround of events, Black Lotus peered her purple goggled face closer to Silver Crow's green one, only centimeters from each other. "Oh... Welcome back, I thought you were a goner despite being the one who cheered me back to my senses." She teasingly told Haru, who was coyly avoiding direct contact, obviously ashamed to himself.

"Se... Sempai... I'm... Sorry, I'm so useless..." Haru bowed his head low, his voice sounded really apologetic and in pain. "...I was... Just afraid that... I am not strong enough to face that monster... I felt scared..." He continued, pouring out his feelings like it was nothing.

"I already told you, it's not your fault. We all come to a point where we all doubt ourselves..." Kuroyukihime comforted Haru. "It's just that yours came at a bad time, and as I've already said, I will never abandon you, never." She added.

Tapping his spear on the ground while watching the slaughter happening just a couple of meters away, Kenneth grew impatient as he spoke. "You two, get a room will you? Now is not the time for that. Right now, we should forget our personal circumstances and we should band together to subdue this threat..." He rebutted majestically, his switching to his charismatic voice.

Turning her head towards Kenneth, Kuroyukihime lowered her swords down and assumed her normal, composed look, albeit quite embarrassed by what she inadvertently had shown her nemesis. "Well, I'm afraid I have to agree with Noir Eraser. Chrome Disaster is a threat to everyone after all." She coyly said, following an abrupt silence, she continued. "Kenneth, you do know about the 'judgment blow', right?

"Barely. Just what I needed to know." Kenneth replied sternly, obviously off-guarded from the earlier scene. "So, what are you getting at?"

"I thought you swore upon your honor that you will cut down whomever will interfere?" Kuroyukihime asked sharply. "Or is your honor pretty non-existent that you just throw it away on a daily basis?" Her lips displayed a malicious smirk.

Struck by the words like a needle in a haystack, Kenneth was thrown off guard and was silent for a few seconds before retorting back. "Honor? Ha, I know I have none, but I wouldn't go past to getting negative." He distanced himself from the members of Nega Nebulas as he started to ready his black spear. "But just so you know, I won't be taking any orders from you, and should you insist, you people shall be the ones to take orders-"

"Fine. We do as you say."

Interjected Kuroyukihime, much to the surprise of everyone around her. "You take the lead. My Legion is yours to command for now as you see fit." She added calmly and easily like it was nothing.

"Wh-what? Bu-bu-but sempai!" This time it was Haru who protested, flailing his arms as though he can't approve of the setup his Legion Master thought of. "What are you saying? Are you really sure this will-"

Kuroyukihime placed the running edge of her right sword arm just inches in front of Haru's lips, effectively sealing the words inside. "Don't worry, Haru. I've thought about it thoroughly and I won't make any decisions that will make either a big impact nor endanger my Legion." Which she then gently retracted as she spoke. "Just follow what I tell you for now, even if it's against your will, just this once, okay?" She added as she began to create a battle formation, her feet gliding slowly in the air, carrying her a few meters away from Haru and Kenneth.

Haruyuki, or Silver Crow wasn't able to make any further amends as he was directly ordered by Kuroyukihime as his Legion Master, and as his friend. All he was able to do is obey her without further questions asked. He sulked his shoulders down as he lined himself in the middle of Black Lotus and Noir Eraser, with Scarlet Rain just standing quietly behind them.

The four Burst Linkers readied their weapons and stood firm, awaiting for their cue.

The monstrosity known as Chrome Disaster finished rounding up the remnants of the escapees, his loud roar boomed across the field and his attention shifted towards where Kenneth and Kuroyukihime were standing.

The fight was on, there is no running back.

* * *

"Lotus, we take the flanks, Crow, you take Rain, fly above, try to get out of his effective range and dive in so Rain can shoot him as soon as I give the word." Noir Eraser barked his orders as if they were of his own flag, but with the forced acknowledgement he is getting from them, he was totally immersed into the fight, letting his bloodlust take the better of him.

Earning a nod from two of the Nega Nebulas Burst Linkers and from the Red King, who was silent all the time, Kenneth took off, the ignition velocity of his thrusters made a loud sonic boom as he thundered off with spear in hand to charge towards Chrome Disaster, a split second later, an almost ghostly apparition appeared by his side, Kuroyukihime glided almost effortlessly a couple of meters away from him, her sword arms starting to buzz and emit purplish light as the two jet-black avatars sped forward.

Following up was Haru and Niko, his silver wings started to gather heat as he extended it as far as he could, the light emitted was warm and it made his wings glow blue. "Shall we go, Niko?" He offered a hand to the small red avatar who was still holding her left hand's stump.

"Tch. I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Niko replied with a grunt, her throat spasmed as she spat those words.

A second later, the red and silver avatar flew off, following both Noir Eraser and Black Lotus who has now initiated contact with the beast, loud metallic sounds echoing as their blades did the talking, each strike parried by the quick and nimble movements of Chrome Disaster which was indirectly proportional to his large size, his copper sword, albeit being crudely crafted and wildly swung around, still managed to be able to fend off strikes which normal eyes couldn't even discern as the black avatars continued to rain down blow after blow.

"Lotus!" Kenneth shouted amidst the monster's ferocious roar, his spear intensely glowing black.

"I know!" Was Kuroyukihime's almost immediate answer, both her sword arms crossed just above her chest.

The deadly duo then slashed Chrome's chest at the same time, leaving X marks on the dark gray armor, both of them utilizing the recoil of their own attacks to create leverage for their next set of moves...

At the same time, Scarlet Rain did something she wasn't supposed to, she wriggled out of Haru's arm, surprising him and with his lax grip, Niko was able to wrestle free quite easily, her slim body started to descend as Haru's arms failed to catch her back.

"NIKOOOOOO!" Shouted Haru as he dived as quickly as he can, yet it was too late.

Red crystals began shining around her right arm, an aura of the same color began forming, circling her limb followed by a bright red opening, or more like, a 'tear' in space behind it, slowly crystallizing it's form; her Enhancement Armor's right hand cannon, which enveloped her hands. As her descent began to sped up, Scarlet Rain lined up the cannon as straight as she can, pointed towards the two black avatars and the lone dark gray one, her cross hair trained as closely as her unstable pose permitted.

"NIKO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" The voice of the madly dashing silver warrior rang loudly as he did his best to prevent her from what she was thinking yet...

The red particles that formed at the cannon's mouth began to multiply in size exponentially, blood red static charges started to dance along the cannon's length. A split second later, the silent Niko continued to stay that way as she pulled the trigger.

"HUNDRED!..."

"DEATH!..."

"SEEEEEEEEMPAAAAAAAIIIIIIII! WATCH OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!" Haru burned his lungs as he shouted, it was the only thing he could do after all, but it was in vain as both of them, or make it the three of them, including Chrome Disaster himself wasn't able to see the blast of red beam that stormed out of Scarlet Rain's cannon as it shuddered the buildings around them, twisting the space that it traveled.

*KRAAAAAATTTTTHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The shock wave created by the explosion furtherly increased the crater's size as it impacted ground zero, with Chrome Disaster suffering a direct hit while Lotus and Eraser barely escaped as they both sensed the projectile, each of them boosting out of the area of effect and even if they were still hit, it wasn't that major.

The dust began settling down, an eerie silence shrouded the battlefield.

Scarlet Rain landed on her behind, making a loud impact on the ground as part of her HP got shaved off, while Silver Crow sped towards the place where the Red King blasted. As he was welcomed by the still smoking black metal body of Kuroyukihime's avatar, all he could do was pick her up and hold her closely. "Sempai! Sempai! Are you okay?" He said weakly.

Hearing nothing but small intakes of air, Haru was able to calm down because Kuroyukihime wasn't fatally wounded from her attack but... "Niko! Why did you do that for?" He shouted with angst towards the Red King, who was just standing idly from the distance. "You do know that if you reduce sempai's HP bar to nothing, then she will retire from this game, right? So why? I thought-"

"-That we are friends?" Scarlet Rain interjected, cutting the words off Haru's lips. "Hahahah don't joke with me. All other Burst Linkers besides you are all enemies. So don't run off thinking you could make such a bond in this world." She added with a stern voice. "Now, move, before I blast you all. Go, run far far away, because the next time I meet you, I will treat the lot of you as enemies."

Haru's eyes widened in shock, as he wasn't expecting that kind of reply coming from her, not that sort of demeanor after the things they have gone through, even for a short time. The events of the last two days; from their first meeting, the cookies she baked for him, the way Kuroyukihime and her interacted and slept beside each other, all of them flashed through his mind, as he tried his best to comprehend what was going on.

"This, is why I hate kids nowadays..." The jet-black avatar's head shot up, a little bit of purple light lingering inside her purple goggles. "...Haru, don't you see I am okay now?" She added in a sweet voice as if she was trying to draw Haru in, yet the damage clearly shows as she had difficulty even as she tried pushing his arms away.

"A-oh.. I see..." Haru immediately spun back. "Bu-but, sempai... You'll be eliminated if you're defeated by Niko! How can you be so calm?" He rebutted as he pointed his index finger towards the red avatar.

Black Lotus trained her gaze towards Niko as she lifted herself up into a sitting position.

"That girl... She is lonely." She whispered to Haru. "Now I finally now what her and Cherry Rook's relationship is... They are Parent and Child."

Haru gasped, and wasn't able to respond as he was caught off guard.

"She... Is the loneliest of us, having lost her only Parent, and being forced the burden of being a King... That kid, she's having it really hard." Kuroyukihime continued, filling out Haru's gap. "Haru, go and help Noir Eraser, the two of you should help... Our friend..." She added, pointing towards the now standing up Noir Eraser who was flung a good distance away, all thanks to his quick intuition which saved him from taking brunt damage from Scarlet Rain's cannon blast.

Kenneth slowly recovered himself from underneath the pile of rubble which toppled on him as he used the last split seconds before the blast to propel himself away from it, putting maximum thrust to gain as much distance as possible in order to escape the blast radius. But he is not unscathed, he still suffered minor damages, as reflected in his avatar, losing portions of his torso, side and back armors, as well as his helmet, which got warped on the left side.

Seeing Black Lotus and Silver Crow recovering from the initial shock, he slowly made his way towards them after confirming that Chrome Disaster lie motionless on the floor, still regenerating, but at a slow pace. Predicting that in just a few moments he will revive again, he decided to make a new battle plan, though he couldn't shake off his mind the fact that his plan was already flawless, if not for the sudden commotion with Scarlet Rain.

"I. Have never been humiliated like this before, being back stabbed by my supposed to be comrades." Noir Eraser growled towards Black Lotus, pointing his spear towards Scarlet Rain. "How do you explain that? Fuck this shit, Kuroyukihime, this temporary alliance is broken, I will call my Legion and do this job, although, if we work, I guarantee he'd be completely annihilated." He swung his spear towards the opposite direction, now pointing towards the now slowly recovering Chrome Disaster.

"Wait!" The black avatar grunted, obviously hurt as she spat the words. "I... Don't want to admit it but... I can't fight in this condition, and Silver Crow might not be able to take him on directly, much less incapacitate him so Rain could deliver the Judgment Blow..."

"How do you expect me to work together with someone who just blasted my ass off when I was about to get the job done huh?" Kenneth growled, his temper closing it's end, and the ones listening to him all felt his anger, which is not a laughing matter anymore.

Silence reigned for the next few seconds, which was then broken by the loud roar of the dark gray monstrosity, signifying it's complete revival.

"If you help us now, I will give you one favor, just one, which you could use to ask me to do anything you bid me to do so." She said as soon as Kenneth ended his words, her own voice towering over Kenneth's strong demeanor, yet in a way that she humbles herself before him. "Please, I beg of you." She added, lifting herself up slowly, trying to postulate in front of the standing Noir Eraser, who's black armor was stained grayish and battered in some parts.

This time, it was Kenneth who was caught off guard, he stood there astonished at the words Kuroyukihime, the Black King spoke to him, it's as if she was recognizing him, as if he acknowledges his stance in this realm. After finally regaining his senses, he replied. "A favor? Hahaha. It's as if you are recognizing me as who I am right now, or did I heard it right?"

"Is there any problems with me recognizing you?" Kuroyukihime shot back instantly, as if she didn't thought hard on her answer. "Is there something wrong with it? As far as I remember, I already told you that I am not holding you back in whatever aspirations you wanted to do in this crazy world, for I am no longer your Legion Master. I am merely just another Burst Linker to you, and your group." She added as Haru just listened in, his gaping mouth unable to butt in in the serious conversation, as it is too much for him.

Kenneth always thought that he led his group like a band of rogues, his mind always told him that he was an outcast, and he always lived in a world where he didn't belong. But he was wrong. He... Was just the one who thought like that, yes, he was exiled, but not to a point that he wasn't welcome to nest, even though she was the one who initiated all that farce...

Kuroyukihime did not forgot about him.

"No, I..." Deep inside, he wanted to say he was happy, yet his circumstances prevented him, and the thoughts of all his men's wishes and desires all weighed heavily, the burden of an anointed 'King'. "...I have no problem with it. Fine. I will work with you just this last time, and I will be stating what I want later. Let's finish this." He grumbled as he turned his back away towards Kuroyukihime and Haru.

"Haru... Please, work with him one more time..." Her sword arms gently tapped the silver warrior's shoulders, urging him on to clear all his doubts and to trust her. "I am counting on you, please do your best."

Without a word, Haru stood up and just threw a fit glance towards his Legion Master who was now sitting on the ground, recovering from pain. As he did, Kuroyukihime threw a glance herself towards Scarlet Rain, and nodded.

The black clad warrior stood side by side with the shining silver armored one, behind them was the red avatar, her small body now carrying her little pistol.

* * *

After just visually confirming each other's stance, Kenneth and Haru, together with Niko dashed forwards, charging towards Chrome Disaster, who has now fully recovered, his armor regaining it's previous murky shine, his roar loudly rang inside their ears as he held up his huge copper colored sword, before dashing himself to meet the trio.

"We stick with the previous plan, Crow, we both take the flank, Rain, you charge forward as we keep him occupied and try landing the Judgment Blow as quickly as you can." He shouted his order just before splitting paths with Silver Crow after confirming that he understood his order.

The monster towered before the two slender Duel Avatars, it swung it's sword horizontally in front of it's body, hoping to hit both of them at the same time but the silver one shot up into the skies, his wings carrying him upwards in the blink of an eye, while the black one boosted out of it's trajectory, evading it completely as he positioned himself on it's back, his spear stabbing him in the sides, then while it's still embedded into it's thick torso, Noir Eraser planted both his feet into the ground, his momentum swinging him around, while the counter-inertia allowed him to partially ignore Chrome Disaster's weight, thus lifting him off his feet, high into the air, before slamming him down the opposite side, grounding him hapless.

Seeing the grounded monster, Silver Crow then ceased his lift and focused all his energy on his descent, his body straightened out into a streamlined position, allowing maximum wind resistance to be prevented, while his right foot was aimed directly towards it's chest, a swirl of bluish white aura freely flowed out of his wings and flight path as he thundered with amazing speeds that may have exceeded a mach or two.

Howling loudly before picking himself up, Chrome Disaster's innate regeneration ability already started kicking in, the wounds made by the black cursed spear which left a gaping hole on his armor were now speedily covered up by dark, flesh-like matter that seemed as if it was weaving the flesh back into it's normal shape. It picked up it's copper sword before fixating it's gleaming monocle eye-like gem which is set in the middle of it's faceplate, wide abyss-colored jaws open proclaimed it's terror as he roared but just then...

The silver streak of light which closely resembled a lightning bolt came crashing down on his still starting to stand-up Chrome Disaster, it impacted without warning and was sudden, and the explosion it created almost rocked the place and sent small tremors in the ground, caught off guard, yet was still able to react by partially guarding using his huge sword, Chrome Disaster was spun a couple of meters away from his original spot, towards the waiting black knight.

"Shatter the heavens! Hundred Spears!" His black spear flashed, sparks flew off as it impacted the dark gray armor, a multitude of flash-like strikes were met by the armor, shredding it into tatters as the sheer force of his momentum doubled, if not tripled the damage. Grunted noises and deaf tones spilled out of his mouth as dark liquid spewed out of his wounds. "Crow! Let's hold him down now!" Kenneth shouted towards Haru, who was already speeding off towards him, his wings granting insane speed.

"I know I know! UUUUOOOHHH!" Haru screamed back as he raised his right arm in front of him, the slender limb glowed blue, and with the power of the propulsion behind him, the aura grew more concentrated and as he reached top speed, his real life self clenched and bit his lips, as his intense speed delivered a toll on his own system, but his pride wouldn't let him back down and say no, he carried his conviction through as he continued to careen down the last few meters of space, yelling all the way.

His fist connected against Chrome's exposed head, twisting the cranium around with such violent force that it snapped back and forth limply, a few seconds after impact, Noir Eraser stabbed him again in his back, this time, a heavier pierce that allowed his spear to pass through his thick body, then he slammed him on the ground, nailing him helpless as Silver Crow kicked his sword away.

It was like a ground crucifixion, a spear keeping him nailed down as two other Burst Linkers held both hands securely wide apart.

"Rain! Do it now!" As Kenneth desperately kept the overpowering arm of the monster down, he craned his head towards the jogging Scarlet Rain, who's pistol was held in her tiny hands, earning a nod, she sped up her pace as she readied her nerves and steeled her resolve.

"Cherry... I have come back..."

Scarlet Rain came face to face with Chrome Disaster, his forehead firmly pressed against the cold barrel of her pistol.

"SCARLET RAIN SHOOT NOW!" Growled Kenneth towards the still hesitating Scarlet Rain, his voice filled with anger as he was slowly being overpowered by the monster he was trying to hold down. "GOD. DAMMIIIIIIIIIIT!" Were the words that was squeezed out of his throat as he was flung away, his body smashing against a building, piling up rubble on top of him, his HP gauge shaved off a noticeable amount.

Opposite of him, Silver Crow was at the same predicament, yet he held his grip firmly, his wings flapping hard on his back, almost lifting the monster off the ground, but he was too powerful, he too was smashed to the ground as the muscle bound arms flailed and waved around.

A second later, two gigantic hands held the small red body of the Red King Scarlet Rain, gripping it tightly, her pistol falling down on the ground. Then as if toying with her, he held her broken left arm's stump along with her still working right, raising her figure over the air, putting slow, increasing pressure on both of them, Chrome Disaster loosed a low growl that seemed as if he was having fun hearing Scarlet Rain's cries of pain.

"AaAAAaAaAAAhhHHhhHHH! NooOoooooOOoOO!" Screamed Niko in a high pitched voice as her arms were stretched far beyond it's limit, the waves of pain short circuiting the nerves of her real-life body as she bore the full brunt of the pain as Chrome Disaster ripped off her right arm, and what remains of her left, before grabbing her by the torso and tossing her body away like a limp rag-doll.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH NIKOOOOOOOOOO!" Cried Haru in despair, as he sped off towards where Scarlet Rain landed, not minding himself even as pain signals ravaged his own body. Arriving besides the battered Yuniko Kozuki, his eyes widened in surprise as her avatar's body slowly disintegrated into red crystals, before evaporating into the air, gradually disappearing from sight.

"...I'm... Sorry... Forgive me but... Please... End it... For me..."

As the last remaining bits of her left his hands, Haru still couldn't believe what just happened. Not only were they both overpowered, Chrome Disaster also managed to take out the only person who could release him from this hell.

Haru stood up silently. His fists curled into a ball, trembling as the long and sharp nails that crown his fingers dug into his palms.

In the distance, Kenneth started to slowly pick himself up, his armor crushed in a few places, and his HP bar was almost the yellow zone. After stretching his arms a little bit, his eyes flared up, peeking out of his half-warped dragon helmet, and his spear glowed steady black.

* * *

Anger and hate.

Haru has never really felt those emotions that frequently, as he tended to live an easy and worry-free life, yet lately, his persona constantly wanted to roar out these feelings, as he was in contact with things that didn't always went as he wanted, and not as he predicted. He felt like he was useless, letting Niko to die like that, he felt inferior, powerless. As if that seething desire and thirst for power was always along with him each and every step of the way.

He felt jealous, specially to Kenneth. The fact that they started being Burst Linkers almost just a few days apart, the level he was on right now was far beyond what he could reach, nor even comprehend. Compared to him, he was nothing but a failure, hell, he wouldn't even be him if by any chance he didn't obtained the wings he had, the wings that proved his existence, the wings that was proof that he existed.

Power. What was power to him anyway?

Was it the overpowering lust to excel and be on top of others?

Or was it the thirst for vengeance, of carnage, and destruction?

Or would it be the capability to protect his comrades and his own ideals?

Or maybe perhaps, it's a combination of all those. Even he doesn't know what it is. There's just this one, weird, sinking feeling inside his heart that he desired to quench.

"You..." Silver Crow crouched low, the wings in his back deployed instantly, this time, it didn't had the scaly feeling that it usually had,

but it was more like wings of light, it was bluish white, and as he further charged it, it expanded wider and wider. "YOU'RE TOAST!" He rocketed off with a loud bang on the ground, the force created by his

wings threw a kick of dust, and he recklessly rushed towards Chrome Disaster.

"No, wait!" Just seconds after he took off, Kenneth noticed something was off, that feeling when somethings going to go wrong.

"No, don't come near the guy!" He added as he too sprang into action, his thrusters providing him additional speed yet it wasn't that fast as they were battered quite bad.

Yet his warnings felt on to deaf ears.

"!" With reckless abandon, Silver Crow charged in, his wings fluttering behidn him, exploding light particles trailing. On the opposite side, Chrome Disaster just stood motionless, his arms dangling beside him, as if he was lifeless, the red glare on his cyclops-eye gradually loosing it's color. Haruyuki Arita continued spiraling his way towards the monster, his fists forming a whitish aura around it, poised to strike.

"I.. Have a bad feeling about this." Muttered Noir Eraser as soon as he realized he won't make it.

A loud bang resounded in the area, huge shock waves of light flowed out as Silver Crow pounded his fist right in to Chrome Disaster's face, violently twisting his neck up to a point it was taut, his body flying a good distance, away from the silver warrior who was radiating with white aura, dust swirled around where they were and a crater formed beneath their feet.

Chrome Disaster took the full impact from the attack, and his limp body tumbled violently away, but there was something different, as he rolled on the ground, large chunks of his armor disintegrated, with the fragments staying intact, and as they peeled off, they just floated in mid-air, dark gray light enveloping each piece.

Astonished, Kenneth was almost clueless at this phenomenon as he watched a dark red, almost maroon colored battered Duel Avatar body emerging out of the dark gray 'shell' as the pieces slowly extract, leaving what was underneath. He just stood still in awe as he witnessed the broken armor pieces started to gyrate slowly around, a low humming sound reverberated throughout the area, as the pieces moved towards the still standing Silver Crow who was in the center of the crater, his movements seemingly bound by some sort of grayish black aura emitted by the armor.

Kenneth clicked his tongue before speeding of towards Haru, his thrusters carrying him forward, yet as he closed in, the black miasma started to become heavy, his movements began slowing down, as if the armor doesn't want him to interfere, he tried clawing his way in, yet it was futile. A second later, a violent explosion ripped off the air, and he was blasted back, the force slamming him to the ground as he saw the towering mass of black energy blasting off.

"Shit, this is bad..." He muttered to himself as he picked up the mess of himself. He then glided his fingers speedily through the menus, pulling up a communications tab, and nimbly typing down a quick message which he then sent to Miyuki. As he stood right back up, the smoke filled crater started settling down, and out of the hazy fog, a lone warrior emerged.

It's arms were significantly bigger than before, it's torso was bulkier, the abdomen section had more spiky armor on it, his legs were now made up of thicker muscles, and his feet weren't as fragile as before. The head retained much of it's original features yet it had more volume, it's trademark green faced feature now lost it's shine, and was replaced by a dark void-like shade, and inside it a pair of blood red eyes shone, and crowning it were a pair of horn-like appendages that were swept backwards. As it slowly stood up, a blast of hot, compressed air was released behind him and a huge pair of dark gray devilish looking wings spread wide apart, spewing viscous liquid in the process, as if they were wings of a newborn dragon.

The warrior loosed a low growl, before the fog completely dissipated.

He just couldn't believe that his prediction actually came true, the way how it 'leapt' from one Burst Linker to another, how it poisons the mind of it's host and the method is uses to assimilate it, all of it, he was able to foresee, but not this kind of farce.

Kenneth didn't knew, not in his wildest dream that it will transfer to Silver Crow.

"KK, this looks really bad. Maybe we should retreat. I have directed the others to secure an escape path towards the Sunshine City Leap Point, let's use that to get out of here." Icicle Rage said ruefully, appearing silently behind Noir Eraser. "...I know it's regrettable, but we should leave them to their own harried fate." She told Kenneth with as much animosity as she can muster.

Blankly staring at the abomination the silver warrior had become, while slowly darting his ocular lenses to his predecessor, Cherry Rook, who lies sprawled on the far side of the field, his battered remains still had a tinge of the dark gray color it once had when it still donned the Disaster Armor, but now a hint of his original flag color, which was scarlet red or more on the maroon side shows, albeit it's darker shade.

"That... I cannot do, Miyu." Kenneth calmly stated as he wielded his spear aimed forwards. "I have given my word to her, and even if I despise her and her underlings, I just can't turn back on my words, as a knight I will uphold my 'justice', even if my ideals are currently clashing against them." He added as he took a fighting stance at the same time as 'Silver Crow' did, his now bulky outer carapace shows more power as he wielded his new weapon, a broad sword-like blade that had a blood-like hue was held clumsily by his beefed up arms.

"Bu-But, why? I thought-" Were the distressed words that was Miyu's reply, half-amazed and half-confused from the words he just mentioned, as they were in stark contrast with his personality, game-wise, that is. It was nearer to his real-life one, as he was someone who wouldn't let others down. "-That you... Will usurp her throne? Well in that case, we should just let-"

He quirked an eyebrow at her statement before replying. "Miyuki Waldstein, haven't I thought you that we should always do things honorably, in spite of the state our 'Legion' is on?" Was his staggard words, not minding that she was just concerned about his social status as the 'King', he just can't compromise his own set of beliefs for such as reason. "But I won't prevent you from doing your own thing, after all, I gave everyone on the 'Legion' the freedom to act and I, in no way would interfere should you think that you can't do it. But I can, and I will. I can't go back on my words, not on this one." He added without blinking and with confidence.

Miyuki didn't knew that he kept his words as fairly as possible, for he hasn't shown much emotion here on the other side, he just almost always donned his cold demeanor, the King's mask that he always wears. That faceless and emotionless mask that hides all of his feelings for his Legion's greater good. "I understand. As your servant, I am compelled to stay with you, Master Noir. The brilliance of your heart has shown me the error of my ways, forgive me if I had doubted you." She said apologetically as she drew her rapier from it's sheath, a warm white light pressed away the darkness around her as she did.

"You have all my thanks Icicle Rage." Kenneth stated with all his gratitude, as he himself wasn't sure if he can take on the monster that Silver Crow became, the evil Disaster Armor taking his sanity away, robbing him of freewill. "Now, we'll do this together just like how you and Miya does it. I take the front, I'll parry his blows and leave him open for you to counter attack, use the after-blow delay to do so, okay?" He added as he stood in front of her to sustain the battle position they had always used.

"Got it." Nodded Miyuki, aligning her lithe framed avatar directly behind Kenneth's, assuming a fencer's battle position, she readied herself for battle.

The now dark silver avatar before them twitched and spasmed as if it still wasn't accustomed to it's new carapace, wobbling steps and unsteady pace, he growled low and in a husk tone, as if he was suffering. Pity started sinking inside Kenneth's heart as he steeled himself and his resolve to end it, with the promise of a swift and painless judgment from his spear, he will send him to a peaceful release from the curse he attracted himself.

"Here we go!" Kenneth took off, his thrusters carrying him fleetingly across the wide expanse albeit it was significantly slower than before, thanks to the pretense of damage he received. Following closely behind him was Miyuki, her white avatar brimming with sparkle, a direct opposite to Kenneth's who was black and was harnessing dark aura, trailing it as he went and sped towards the beast, hoping to end this rampage once and for all.

"!" As they neared him, his roars intensified, it's as if he was in a lot of pain, as if he himself was confused or something, as if he himself didn't wanted this.

He swung his sword around in an arc in front of him, sending the air into a shrill sound, with both the Burst Linkers ducking and weaving out of the way, their weapons in hands, poised to strike.

Kenneth saw an opening, as soon as 'Silver Crow' raised his sword up, using it's momentum to score another blow...

"Not today!" As soon as the huge blood red sword came thundering down him, Kenneth swung his own spear, it's blunt side coming in contact with the sword's edge, parrying it, sending sparks flying all over over his shoulders. "Hraaaaaaaaaaah! Now! Miyuki!"

As he felt the recoil of the blow trembling his own muscles, he shouted towards the still dashing Icicle Rage, her rapier aimed towards the monster's now exposed throat.

"Haaaaah!" Her voice resonated clearly, as her actions were swiftly carried by her slender avatar, Kenneth's earlier parry created a huge gap of opening in his attacks, where for a split second, his body would be fully exposed to any attacks. Seeing it was an opportunity to end the farce, Icicle Rage started uttering an aria for her attack when...

*CLAAAAAAAAAANG*

Both Noir Eraser and Icicle Rage just couldn't believe what just happened, as a ghostly apparition came into contact with both their blades, effectively blocking them to prevent them from hitting 'Silver Crow', whilst the slender figure the avatar had received the full impact of the monster's blow by the sides, pieces of armor scattering along with a sound of a low grunt.

"I... Can't allow you... To do that..." Muttered the black avatar who'se sword arms blocked both Kenneth's black spear and Miyu's icy rapier, her battered body rattling as she received the three avatar's force, craters forming under her feet as she hovered just millimeters off the ground. "Please... Just... Leave... There's no need... For the lot of you here..." Were her silent words as she further resisted the force being concentrated on her.

"Kuroyukihime! Now's not the time for this! He was already taken over by the Armor! His mind is not his own now, if you want to save him, you should purge him from-" Uttered Kenneth as he kept the pressure n his spear, unrelenting and making her realize the error of what she was doing.

"He's right! Ease him from this suffering! Can't you hear his voice calling out to you?" Added Miyu as she herself kept up the pressure of her rapier down to keep Black Lotus in check.

"I just... Can't... I'm sorry."

"Program Execute. Force Link Out. Target: Noir Eraser and Icicle Rage."

There was a blinding flash of light that emanated from her avatar, too bright that Kenneth and Miyuki weren't able to keep their own real life eyes open, thus preventing them from seeing what exactly happened. As the light began to fade out, darkness began to envelop their bodies, shifting and thrusting them in a spiral descent, their consciousness being close to like being flushed down the drain.

* * *

A/N: Nothing to say this time, been so busy, work doubled (almost tripled dammit.) these past few days, so my release took a couple of days late, and it isn't that long, well I haven't skipped any parts in my projected story so all's good. I hope you continue to enjoy the story :D

PS: Sword Art Online fic anyone? :D


	12. Chapter 12 If Else

**Chapter Eleven: "If ; Else"**

* * *

Everybody else in the class was looking towards him, including Miyuki.

"Mr. Kusanagi? Question number eighteen on page twenty three please, if you may."

Kenneth blinked his eyes a couple of times, before completely realizing that he was back into reality, out of the 3D virtual world of Brain Burst. His mind still perceived the lag of transition, as he spaced out for a few seconds before it all sank in. He darted his eyes back and forth, seeing all his classmates who were either fiddling their visual keyboards, staring at him with a puzzled look, or just plain dilly-dallying.

"Uhh. Yeah. Question number eighteen." He calmly double checked which class he was on; History, before making swiping gestures to navigate into the given page. "Number eighteen, what is the very first VRMMORPG to be released into the market, what year is it and who is it's developing company and who is it's creator?" He read in an unamused tone, still half dazed. It was a dumb question to be asked out of a gamer such as him, but he didn't mind and he was also thankful that he will be able to get away with it easily.

"It was the year 2022, Sword Art Online was developed by the software company Argus, headed by Akihiko Kayaba, which, was held responsible for the biggest online crime ever, as he imprisoned the minds of 10,000 people to participate in a death game. It was further known as the SAO Incident." He said coolly as he promptly closed his eyes, donning a bored look as his answer didn't even needed much time nor knowledge to think about.

"Splendid answer, Mr. Kusanagi..." His teacher praised him, yet he had this look of disdain on his eyes, which were slanted a little bit upwards. "...But I'd rather appreciate it if you would actually listen in to what I am discussing and not space out during my class. Someday, your 'extensive' stock knowledge won't save you from me." He added, glaring with a hint of chastise towards the still dozed Kenneth, who was slouching in his seat.

"Sir, I strongly believe that all I have to do to pass this curriculum is to come to classes everyday, do my homeworks, answer your questions and fill out my exam sheets, which I have done flawlessly, and I believe that whatever my demeanor in your class will definitely NOT have impact on my digits, isn't that right, sensei?" He opened one eye as he spoke, his voice sounding a little bit sarcastic as if he was challenging the proctor's authority, because he knows he can't win, not in his own rights.

"Hmph." Grunted the irritated teacher as he lost face to his student, unable to give a counter argument to his debate. "...Moving on. Yes, he is right. It was the year 2022..." As he trailed on to his lesson, he walked back towards his platform, obviously embarrassed as he kept on hearing low giggles coming from the other students, he continued without a gist for the next thirty or so minutes until the lunch bell rang.

*DING DONG DANG DONG*

After a really long day, well, technically, a long day only for him, as he and his Legion sustained more than ten or so hours in their last dive into the Unlimited Field, and after being forced logged out, they practically came home empty handed, so much for their debut so to think. It really pissed him off but deep inside, there was this nagging feeling that he wanted to know what or how it happened, and his mind wanted to seek for answers.

The usual clatters of the classroom on lunch filled his ears, from the random giggles of the girls, to the loud arguments of the boys. It was too much for him as his temples still ache from the extended dive, and craning his head towards where Miyuki was, he bets she also feels the same way as she was slumped in her desk, her thin arms covered by the light blue fabric of their uniform cradled her head and she hasn't moved an inch ever since the bell rang, and he would feel bad if he were to bother her.

Feeling the additional uncomfortable sensation of hunger, Kenneth decided to stand up and drag himself out of the noisy classroom.

* * *

There was a heavy and suffocating darkness that surrounded Arita Haruyuki.

His mind was completely blank, and he doesn't even know where he was, what's he doing, or not even how long has it been ever since he was imprisoned in this cage of darkness. His sense of time dulled completely as he remained motionless, trapped in this farce, his eyes registered what his original avatar, Silver Crow was doing, yet he didn't had any control over what it was actually doing, nor where it was going.

He was afraid, yes.

He couldn't get off his mind the image of himself not being able to take control over his own actions, as he saw his own two hands taking the lives of his friends in the Accelerated World. He just watched helpless as his powerless persona bathed in the blood of his brethren. He could no longer hear his own voice, as it was subdued by the demonic howls of his captor, drowning his only hope.

As he cradled himself deep inside this house of madness, his mind rekindled the events that unfolded that may be forever etched into his heart.

"I just... Can't... I'm sorry."

"Program Execute. Force Link Out. Target: Noir Eraser and Icicle Rage."

As his masterless body continued to press on the gigantic blood red sword he held with two hands against Black Lotus' thin sword arms, his own self which was locked was constantly screaming, burning his lungs out as he bellowed to the best of his ability, yet it was futile, no one can hear him. Not Black Lotus, not Noir Eraser and certainly not Icicle Rage either. At that point, he can't comprehend what exactly happened but a fraction of a second later, he came to this conclusion...

His desire for power triggered Disaster Armor's thirst and bloodlust, and after leeching his previous host dry, he 'transferred' to the closest subject it could find.

And it was him, Haruyuki Arita a.k.a Silver Crow.

The moment his 'avatar' roared and poised another strike, raising it's sword above his head, the two Burst Linkers opposite them shattered into blue pixels at the same time, even if they didn't really sustained enough damage to be incapacitated, their avatars burst as if they actually 'died'. Wanting to ask the now lone slender Duel Avatar who stood before him, Haru tried screaming yet again, but his body did otherwise.

"HRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH" Was the low and eerie sound that came from him, the muscular dark gray avatar that was born out of the bright silver one he had before hulked in front of the lithe framed avatar of Black Lotus, as she just stood there, with her sword arms limply dangled by her side, as if she didn't had any will to fight. The armor stood up, pounding it's ripped chest with both arms before lunging towards her.

The red arc produced by the sword's trajectory was clearly drawn on the air as it thundered it's way towards her, yet she still didn't budge.

"Haru... Wake up..."

She whispered as she took the blow with open arms, the blade crashing against her fragile looking body, tearing it apart with such violent force that black fragments scattered around them yet, she still didn't resorted to violence, she just continued to inch her way towards him, embracing his entity as she came into proximity inspite her body slowly disintegrating into the dreaded blue pixels that denoted death in this world.

Haru could no longer hold back the tears he's been suppressing, "KUROYUKIHIME SEMPAI!" he screamed helplessly as his tears rolled down his cheeks, his body restricted by his internal desires that manifested, to the nightmare he has induced. He was holding his head using both arms and at that moment he wanted to kill himself for the farce he has inflicted to himself, he wanted to punish himself, yet he cannot.

The Disaster Armor already took total control over his senses and his mind, and he could do nothing against him as he roared loudly before dashing off towards the horizon.

* * *

"Burst Link!"

As soon as Kenneth set foot inside the school's cafeteria, he totally forgot about what could possibly happen because of the overpowering feeling of hunger he was feeling, a sensation that was induced and amplified by staying in the Unlimited Neutral Field for a long time, and as his first step landed on the brown colored marble flooring of the lavishly designed segment, he was met by the quickly eroding colors of the real world, subduing reality in exchange for the blue colored realm where time accelerated a thousand fold.

His body was soon replaced by his Global Net avatar, the trench coat wearing guy that he always liked to use to stay anonymous.

As he had no chance to react, he just readied himself for competition, yet none came. Just silence. As he was flung into the noiseless and motionless prelude stage to Brain Burst, he just stood in the center of it, and on the far side of the eclipse colored scene elegantly sat a black avatar, her fragile white arms held a teacup like object close to her lips as her black and red swallowtail butterfly inspired wings flapped gently behind while her long black hair was carried fleetingly by the calm breeze it produced.

Copper colored eyes gazed fiercely towards him, as if to pierce his very soul as she gestured towards the empty seat opposite her, her fingers gliding gently in the air to do so.

"Kuro... Yukihime..." Kenneth muttered under his own breath as he hesitated, thinking back to the weird program she executed that forced him and Miyuki to logout prematurely out of Brain Burst, effectively cutting off their further actions to subdue the new threat they encountered, which was Silver Crow, the new generation Chrome Disaster. "After the things you've done just awhile ago in the Unlimited Field, I wonder what this is all about." He calmly said as he walked casually towards her, but not accepting her invitation to have a seat.

No reply escaped her pale lips as she just placed her cup back in it's fancily decorated saucer situated in the white table.

"So? I don't exactly know how it happened but I strongly believe that the program you executed inside Brain Burst is a 3rd Party Program, which makes you violate your own morals, and the morals you impose on to your Legion, am I not right?" Irritated by her wordlessness, Kenneth stammered out the words he's been meaning to say since earlier. "How sly of you, Snow Black Princess. To be breaking the very rules you have used to exile us in the first place. It was a grave mistake of me working together with you..." He added, without letting her counter his argument.

"You disgust me." Kenneth ended his speech, dropping the bomb on her.

The awkward silence continued as Kuroyukihime just sat there, motionless, her arms clasped together in her lap, and her eyes closed, partly being hidden by her forelocks. Somehow, Kenneth could feel an aura of despair streaming from her, as if for the very first time, she felt really helpless and powerless in her dilemma.

"Well, I believe you have a bunch of explaining to do, Black Lotus." Kenneth continued his own monologue as he sat down like a boss on the plush chair he was offered earlier, raising his feet up the table in the process. "So...?"

"I... Would like to request the help of you and your Legion, the 7th Rift..." Her pursed lips slowly opened and softly uttered those words, even if she felt ashamed at doing so, she didn't had any other choices. "...I am in a position where my own Legion faces annihilation." She added, her slender fingers crumpling the dark backless dress her avatar was wearing as he brows furrowed hard at that fact.

"Hooh. The great Black King, asking help from a mere, 'peasant', huh? Hahaha how amusing." Kenneth spat out sarcastic laughter as he placed the fingers of his right hand halfway around his face as he leaned his elbows in the table. "...And what if I say no?" He stammered suddenly after donning a serious tone.

"So your earlier declaration that 'the people without power should seek you' is only a fluke?" Kuroyukihime said in response, obviously putting a deep knife through his statements.

"A nice rebuttal, I must say." Placing his clenched fist near his mouth, he lightly coughed before adding his next argument. "But you are not someone without power, that is something we all know, all the Burst Linkers in the Accelerated World knows you are one of the seven people who have attained Level 9, yet you dare say you are powerless?" He pressed her for answers as he tapped his fingers on the table.

"Tell me, what is the definition of power to you, young one?" Came the black clothed lady's answer, her eyes gazing sharply towards Kenneth. "Is obtaining strength for a single person your definition of power? Or would it be the collective strength of everybody else, working as a team?" She added, sealing the deal for him.

Inside Kenneth's mind, she was right, although he doesn't want to admit it, he knew what she spoke of is the truth and it is the inescapable fact behind all forms of 'power', it's the quality of strength that comes through numbers, and not through individual strength.

"Tch. Although I hate to admit it, you speak of the truth." Was Kenneth's soft reply, his tone admitting defeat as he straightened his sitting position and got into a more proper posture of negotiation. "So tell me. What exactly happened, do not try to lave details or deliberately hide them or else we're not going anywhere. Oh and while you're at it, explain to me what that program was, what you used back then to log us out." He continued, using more casual words to possibly disperse the tense mood they've been having.

"I understand. I believe I can't get you to trust me without giving up something as well..." Kuroyukihime answered back as she started twirling the ends of her long black hair that draped her shoulders. "...So, if you're asking about that program... I... Actually coded it based off on your code strings that were used for the List Blocker application you used to use before, I had to use the Firewall Security Bypasser in order to get around Brain Burst's Game Guard software which blocks out 3rd Party Applications. And from there, I used my own knowledge to encode and encrypt a command that when I activate it, it will override another user's Instance Privelage and it will hack into his/her own Neuro Linker, forcing their Brain Burst program to close, logging them out immediately. It's the same as physically taking off the device from your neck as it literally blocks out the signals of your brain from reaching it." She explained as she continued fiddling with her hair, as if she was just explaining something really extravagant to sound really simple.

"So that explains it. So you're saying it was already floating around the School Network and will infiltrate any Neuro Linkers that access the program named "Brain Burst" for quite some time now and you alone have the command to force the logging out of any designated player, right?" Kenneth grounded out, partly amazed that she was able to write out a program that functions like that and partly because she was able to make it so that it escapes the Anti Virus Applications that they have installed on their Neuro Linkers. "I see. I see. So it all makes sense now. And how do you explain breaking your own set of rules that you enforced with an iron hand?" He asked, dropping the big controversy on her.

"I..." Her eyes gazed away into the distance withotu her head moving, her copper eyes lovely situated in the corners of her sharp eyes. "...Didn't plan on using it at that time, no, let me correct myself. I didn't plan to use it at all. I just... Prepared it just in case of an emergency..." She lowered her voice as she spoke, trailing regrets as she did.

"And you consider that as an emergency? How impudent. It doesn't change the fact that you broke your own rules, and that is now leading to your own destruction and ruin. You can't change that fact. If you just-" Kenneth's quick reply was cut off as Kuroyukihime promptly stood up, banging the table using both her slender arms in protest.

"I know I am in the wrong!" She exclaimed, her voice wavering and starting to loose strength. "I had no other choice! I don't want to loose anyone inside that world! No, at the very least, not him out of all people!" Kuroyukihime added as small beads of liquid started forming in the corners of her eyes.

"But you did loose my sister, am I right? Why didn't you saved her when you had the chance like how you saved Haruyuki? Why must you save him and not my sister when she needed you the most?!" This time it was Kenneth who started raising his voice, his anger and emotions no longer can be contained inside his raging heart. "What did he have that my sister didn't?! Why have you forsaken her?!" His tone was full of hatred and despair as he rekindled the events of the past few months ago.

"What else do you need?! haven't I stated my reasons? I know Kenneth, I know I am wrong! I am only human and I am bound to make mistakes at some point, what do you expect me to be? I am not God!" She stated, not backing down in the exchange.

"But you are the King, Kuroyukihime. To your subordinate's eyes, you are their God, their sovereign, the ruling body, everything!" Kenneth leaned his head closer to hers, his hat's tip coming in contact against Kuroyukihime's avatar's white forehead. "You should be a role model, an example to follow! If you are enforcing the No 3rd Party Applications rule, be the very first one to do it, not the very first one to break it!"

At those words, Kuroyukihime's knees have gotten weaker, making her sink back into her seat, her forelocks covering her eyes and soft sobbing could be heard from under her.

"I know... I am an irresponsible King..." With a look of disdain at herself, she muttered lowly. "...I break my rules, I exile my own and I... Let my subordinates get consumed by their inner desires. What a pitiful King I am... But..." She then craned her sights back to the anonymous looking Global Avatar in front of her. "...I never ever leave them behind."

"Never leave them behind? Is that a joke? If you don't leave people behind, then what do you call me and Miyuki? What are we?" Angered by her remarks, Kenneth retorted.

"If I left you behind totally, you won't even be reaching Level 3. I will cast you out even out of my territory, just so you know." Was her counter argument, which is basically true. If she really did 'exile' them totally, he wouldn't even be able to properly stand on his feet to gain levels, he would be constantly harassed by all the other Legions at all fronts, even if the No Invasion treaty is in effect, as they all used to be in the Black Legion, that treaty is nulled. "So, I believe this would settle all your debts with me, and this would probably be a good chance to use this incident as a springboard for your future plans, so, what do you think?"

Although she was on the worser side as of the moment, Kuroyukihime took advantage of her stature as a King to pressure him into the most lucrative deal she could pull of, given the circumstances in which her Legion would benefit the most.

"Hah, you make it sound like as if I don't have any other choice, do you?" Gruntling, Kenneth resigned back to his seat, unable to resist the offer of using this situation to accelerate his plans, as he was already lagging way behind his projected schedules. "Though, I would like you to follow two conditions of mine, without second thoughts." He added, sealing the deal over, trying to create more leverage for him.

"We have a deal then. I'm up to a point where I could even prostrate myself just to get you to agree anyway." Kuroyukihime replied with a casual smile that was gradually coming back to her lips.

"If I have the luxury of asking you to do so, I would love to but..." Chuckling, he crossed both his arms across his chest as he raised his legs in the table once more. "...I will only ask two conditions, and none of those would sound like those as I will use them to the full benefit of the 7th Rift, and no matter how much you degrade yourself in front of me, I would never, ever forgive you." Suddenly donning a more serious look, he leered towards her. "Not as long as you proclaim yourself as a King, because you are a disgrace."

"And I am not someone who pretends to be one though." This time, it was Kuroyukihime who threw a fitting chuckle, joking as if they were already close, as if she was teasing him.

"At least I will realize all of my men's dreams, along with mine. Not bowing to anyone, and certainly not owing any favors towards anybody else." Laughing with her, Kenneth never backed down with his sarcasms. "So, I presume I could give my first condition right here... I would like you to propose this idea to the entire 7th Rift High Council and get their approval, as I am not a tyrant who just does what pleases myself, this request would have to go through due process before we could take action." He demanded, his tone now clearly showed his absolute dominance over the what will happen over the lives of the members of Nega Nebulas.

"Give me a date, time and place, and I will be there." Kuroyukihime said softly before standing up and ending the suspended state they were in, the flash of vibrant colors whirling in, placing the gears of time back on track where they originally where. She then walked away from the scene, leaving the sitting Kenneth Kusanagi behind.

* * *

The stunned gasps of the multi-colored Burst Linkers gathered in the sparsely populated and secluded area of the No Mercy Stage in the Unlimited Neutral Field echoed loudly through it's halls as their real-life faces all paled in color.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Black Lotus, King of Nega Nebulas." Kenneth aptly introduced the black and purple laden avatar who stood behind him, her footwork completely silent as she glided through thin air. "For today, she will grace us with her presence because she has a proposal to our... Humble... Oraganization." He minced his words a little bit in order to emphasize the word 'humble' and 'organization'.

Miyuki sat in the corner of the table, her hands placed under her chin and her head was craned in the opposite direction, obviously uninterested in what was going on.

Well, she isn't. Mainly because of what happened earlier.

"H-hey, Kenneth! Where'd you been? You were gone the entire lunch break and I even made lunch for you!" She spat towards the slumping Kenneth who returned to his seat just a few minutes before lunch break ended, his shoulders a little bit droopy, which she didn't found weird because lately he's been doing a lot of stuff both in the real world and the Accelerated World.

"...Nothing really." He answered briefly as he sank down back on his seat, clumping his arms under his head on the desk.

"...You... Haven't eaten, right?" Miyuki concluded as she noticed that he didn't had that much enthusiasm. She then leered her head closer to him, whispering words into his right ear. "You talked to her, right?" She sounded jealous as she uttered those words and her eyes clearly displayed an aura of displease.

Surprised, Kenneth shot up his head and came into a real close proximity, just a few centimeters away from Miyu's lips. Realizing their stature, both of their cheeks reddened before creating distance between them.

"Ehh... Who what where when how?" Was his idiotic answer as if he was pretending to not know where she was getting at. "What do you mean by 'her'?" He asked in an innocent voice.

"Hmph. Don't play dumb KK. I know you, you can't be possibly ignoring what just happened earlier, no, not after we mysteriously logged out of the game, completely ditching our mission and going back home empty handed. No, you can't keep quiet after that. So tell me, how'd it go with Kuroyukihime sempai?" She said before heading back towards her seat in front of Kenneth, promptly straightening up her green pleated skirt before sitting down.

"You really are one hell of a scout and I was never wrong in choosing you." Kenneth replied back, switching back to his normal bored look. "I'll be explaining later during our second break. Gather the Rift, we don't have much time." He added, drawing the line between the two of them, clearly showing his authority over her."

The classroom noise died down as their next subject's proctor went in. "What?! Why is she here?!" Amethyst Maverick protested as he shot straight out of his seat, obviously caught off guard by the guest Noir Eraser was referring to. "Isn't she the Accelerated World's most wanted traitor and the very same King who exiled you? Why is she here then?" He exclaimed with a loud voice that seemed to get it's message across all the people who were present.

"Ugh, I am always stunned by your boldness, Master Noir. You never fail to amaze me each and every time you make a move. Kyaa~!" Giggled Topaz Canopy as she twirled the yellow parasol resting on her small shoulders. "But Master, I think this is a big no-no..." She added, toning her volume down.

"Hmph. So this is what you mean by 'explain'." Crossing her arms as she walked briskly towards her seat, Icicle Rage ignored Noir Eraser's serious mood as she settled down, her lips pursed and eyebrows twitching.

Lightly coughing to catch everybody else's attention, Kenneth made his way towards his own seat, closely followed by Kuroyukihime. He almost furrowed his eyebrows when he passed by Miyuki and heard 'make sure your head stays on your shoulders' whispers coming from her. "So. I believe I should give the floor to our guest, please do hear her out." He then ushered the black avatar in front of the dismayed avatars of his Organization.

Loud gruntling ensued, as if they didn't want to hear her out.

"My name is Black Lotus, and I lead the Black Legion, Nega Nebulas." The Black Avatar started speaking as soon as she faced the huddled mass of Burst Linkers who were in front of her. "And I am here today to humbly request the assistance of the 7th Rift." She added while noticing the abrupt silence her audience gave her in order to let her voice what she went in here for today.

"Aren't you the oh-so-strong Black King who single-handedly defended her territory after hiding in for around two years? Then why need our help?" Protested Amethyst Maverick as he raised his feet off the table. "Hah. I never wanted to be in your presence, I might get my head cut-off". He sighed before resigning his part of the argument.

"If you are requesting something, that will have to go through due process and would require at least a 90% approval rate from thsi council, which, would be impossible, if you ask me." Replied Icicle Rage who was still pissed off at the happenings earlier. "So? What are we talking about anyway?" She asked.

Black Lotus just stood there without protesting back at the harsh words thrown against her. "I humbly request your Legion to help me find the missing Nega Nebulas Burst Linker, Silver Crow, the 5th Generation Incarnation of Disaster Armor." Came her low voice.

Upon hearing her requests, the council went into a jumbled frenzy of stares and murmurs, whispers could be heard and seen being passed around their ears while Black Lotus continued to stand in front of the still silent and observing Noir Eraser. However, Kenneth halted the mimicry of nosies coming from them using only a wave of his hand, Kuroyukihime now recognizing how much these people idolizes him, he then gestured her to move aside so he can speak.

"My friends, my heart wavers at the loss we have suffered earlier at the hands of the nightmare called Disaster Armor. Never have I been so frustrated at the fact that there is an entity lurking around who, one day might cause problems for our eventual domination, however, the Black King Black Lotus have kindly requested me to assist her in securing the capture of her Legion Member, who is the 5th Generation Incarnation of that Nightmare, who is Silver Crow." He spoke with his usual charismatic voice who captured the attention of everyone, including Kuroyukihime who was surprised at how the little kid who used to be under the guidance of his sister now held his own ground just like how he is doing now.

"...I understand that most of you hate this kind of request, specially coming from the Accelerated World's most well-known traitor, but..." He glanced over her black laden figure before continuing. "...I have always envisioned a world where our dominance is prominent yet, I do not harbor any ill will nor any intentions to subdue her Legion without having a proper fight. Though my goal is the total subjugation of each and every Legion in this world, I do not envision doing it in an unfair way. I would also like to request your approval regarding this matter as I see this fit and in line with our plans, as right now, my sources have reported..." His words were cut off by Kuroyukihime who in a gentle way, held her sword arm, who's blade was retracted a little bit in front of him.

"I'm sorry, but I think I should be the one to explain it to them." She whispered to him while slowly hovering back upfront.

"I apologize as well. Please go on." He replied, making way for her.

While she still had the full attention of the council, Kuroyukihime decided to iron her resolve again, it was all her fault anyway so she prepared to strike whilst the iron was still hot. "I can feel that my child, Silver Crow who is the current incarnation of Disaster Armor is in danger, and I would like your assistance in securing him back and utterly destroying the origin of this whole farce, which is the Disaster Armor, in order to end it's cycle of madness. Currently, I can sense that he is running away from hunters who were trying to pursue him, and with the help of our friend the Red King Scarlet Rain, she told me that the Blue and Green Legions formed an Alliance to purge him as he already ended a couple of Burst Linker's life inside the field." She explained, giving full details towards the current situation as much as her intelligence pars with.

"Somehow, I can find Master Noir's enthusiasm towards this request." Topaz Canopy gleefully said while she continued to rapidly twirl her yellow frilly parasol. "As we all know, our goal is to incite destruction across all the existing Legions, in order for them to start wars with each other, and as far as I can see, since the Blue and the Green lands have joined forces, it might be a good idea to break it up and mess them real good hahahaha~" She added while laughing, happy that his master has seen through it already.

"Mhm. Sounds profitable if we listen closely. Mhm mhm. It's a sound plan." Added Amethyst Maverick, his attitude changing as he continued to listen with all ears.

"I already told you I will follow you wherever you go and whatever you plan to do, my Master." Was Mercuric Void's silent answer as she just kept eye contact with Kenneth, their personal connection allowing him to perceive her message even if she didn't spoke out loud.

The only one left was Icicle Rage, who still kept her uptight composure which seemed to disagree with everything. "I just hope we are getting something in return." Came her remorseless answer.

Hearing her remark placed a smirk on Kenneth's lips, as he could no longer contain what he had in store. "Speaking of which, Black Lotus. You have already cleared one of two of my conditions, and I believe I could state the second to you right here right now."

The black and purple avatar gave him an approving nod.

"I want you to bow down to my hegemony. Your Legion, upon restoration will be completely under my own exclusive command as I see fit, without any exceptions. You will all be my mere pawns to expire in my little game." He calmly stated as his smile widened and turned into an evil smirk, a dark chagrin to top off to put a check mate on her, driving her further into a corner where she could no longer argue.

The Council was still silent shocked in awe, speechless at his declaration as it was a very bold move, even for him, as he tried to subdue the Black Legion without even drawing blades with them. He fully utilized everything that had happened, and although she thought that she already driven Kenneth into a corner, it was the other way around, and he already knew what her course of action would be, and he already made plans to counter it, even before she executed it.

Kuroyukihime's real life face dropped her jaw as she heard his condition for helping her, as she did not anticipate it at all, and what he was getting at is that she leaves her authority over the Legion on to his hands, her brows furrowed as she was cornered and pressured into submission as she realized where she was standing, in the middle of the 7th Rift's High Council, surrounded by it's finest warriors, along with their leader, Noir Eraser where even her ranking as one of the seven Level 9 Burst Linkers would not help her at all.

Even of Kenneth cannot really see Kuroyukihime's real life reaction, he could sense the uneasiness lingering inside her heart as it fluttered around like the butterfly she is. He was opening and clenching his hand in excitement, awaiting what her response would be, as the evil smirk he had on was continued to be plastered across his face, proud of himself for being able to corner a King just like that, thinking that for a Level 9 Burst Linker, she was easily fooled, even if her own Legion was in danger, she should have thought about it more thoroughly, because even if everybody else Retires out of the game, as long as she still stands, the name and existence of the Legion goes with her and nobody else.

"...I... Am pretty surprised at that remark, Noir Eraser." Kuroyukihime casually answered. "So you're saying that I relinquish command of my Legion over to you?" She inquired out of astonishment as she really can't fathom the absurdity he just stammered out towards her.

"No, no no, I'm not asking you to relinquish your throne my sweet snow black princess..." Kenneth gracefully waved his right hand back and forth in a negative response. "...You still keep your title, which is of course, the Legion Master but, I will be controlling your actions behind the scenes, from the shadows, following my each and every command. You will be part of my very own personal puppet government." He added, handing out the details to her in a silver platter, pressuring her into a deal she didn't exactly planned from the beginning.

She was fazed, she can't believe she completely fell for this kind of setup, she was so desperate that she was willing to do almost anything that he would ask her to but, she did not expect this agreement, no, not in her wildest dreams. So he really harbored that much contempt against her to be able to plot something as grand and as extravagant as this, and from the very beginning, this was already his goal and he was already striving for it ever since he was casted out. She was amazed and scared at the same time with his determination, all in order to prove her wrong and to bring her and the entire Accelerated World down.

All for the sake of revenge.

"Well? Do we have a deal or not? I believe you don't have forever to think about it as about what? Four five hours since he went missing? I can't imagine how long Silver Crow has been trapped inside the Accelerated World now do you? I'm afraid you really are going to loose him if you don't act now." Kenneth then moved closer to her, bringing his avatar's dragon shaped faceplate close to her avatar's face and whispered... "...You do realize where you are standing now, right? I trust that will help you decide."

"Tch, what a sly fox you are." Kuroyukihime whispered back to him before collapsing down in to one knee, bowing and kneeling in front of Kenneth. "But I have one, just one condition, please, do not let the other Legion Members know about it.

Kenneth gave a silent approving nod.

At the same time, the High Council gasped and all of them quickly shot up out of their seats, totally taken aback by the sudden and unexpected turn of events, as the one of the seven Level 9 Burst Linkers, the Legion Master, King of the Black Legion, Nega Nebulas, prostrating herself in front of the Level 7 Noir Eraser, King of the irregular Legion the 7th Rift. All of them knew this was the very first time this is happening ever since the birth of Brain Burst, for a Legion Master to bow down before the hegemony of a lower-leveled Burst Linker, specially not to a former Legion Member, exiled by herself.

"I am acknowledging Burst Linker Noir Eraser as my sovereign, my rightful heir to the throne, and the legitimate Legion Master of the Black Legion Nega Nebulas from this day forwards." The bowing down figure of Black Lotus said in an almost inaudible voice as she kept her head down, her left arm dangling by her side while her right was anchored to her kneeling knee, while her real life face was twisted in shame and pain, and tears started flowing freely down her flushed red cheeks.

All the hardwork she did these years, from building the Legion from the ground up, to defending it from invaders, to keeping it alive while she was in hiatus, and to it's eventual recent rebirth, only to fall as easily as this in the hands of the tyrant Kenneth Kusanagi, she was part ashamed and part angry at herself, as if it was stolen from her in broad daylight, robbing her blind of her everything.

The evil grin Kenneth had on his face further stretched as if he was grinning from ear to ear as his Council remained silent in shock and awe.

* * *

The Blue King, Blue Knight stood side by side with the Green King, Green Grandee as the both of them commanded an army of well over forty Burst Linkers currently gathered in a circular formation, and in the center of them was a limp dark gray avatar that struggled to stand up because of the damage that he sustained yet, it was still standing, it's huge copper sword stuck deeply on the black metallic looking ground that was part of the Death City stage of the Unlimited Neutral field that they were all on.

It's ear piercing loud roared could be heard as far as the two Kings stood, which was about twenty meters from where the monster is surrounded.

"So that's the... Flying avatar that emerged out of the Nega Nebulas, right?" Bellowed the large pure green avatar who held a gigantic green colored cross shaped shield on his right hand, his gaze pinpointed towards the chaos that was unfolding before them.

"Apparently yeah. It is in a pitiful state though." Replied the blue colored fully armored knight standing beside him, a same-colored elaborately designed thick broadsword hung on his back that solidified his knightly image. "The Black Legion wasted his ability by letting him be eaten by that disgusting armor. Really, what a waste." He added, sighing as he did.

"Too bad..." Remarked Green Grandee as he flicked his fingers to send messages to his troops to finish the mission as quickly as they can, Blue Knight doing the same.

"GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH H!" Roared the dark gray abomination after receiving another blow to his guts, bits and pieces of his armor blown off his body while he blindly swung his great sword with only rage as his range-finder.

"Attack him from all sides let's go let's go let's go!" Shouted the melee weapon wielding Burst Linkers who were mixtures of blue green and related colors, who promptly surrounded the monster before charging in, weapons in hand rabidly aiming for it's head. "CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGE!" Came their loud battle cry as they all rushed over, trampling the earth beneath them.

The monster paused, stomped it's feet hard on the tarmac which sent tremors on the ground, halting the advancing troop's charge, stunning them in the process, and while their heads are in the clouds, Disaster Armor swung it's sword downwards viciously, tearing apart the robotic segments of his attackers, shattering their armors and ending their life then and there. Loosing another howl whilst his own wounds still bled black liquid, it stood there, an intimidating sight that held the attackers at bay.

Seeing the melee attackers backing off, the avatars that were of mixed colors, specially red started to charge up their guns while the frontliners continue to keep the monster busy by parrying and or blocking it's wild swings, and after a while, the attack was called off, and a blast of indirect long range barrage pummeled the beast, sending him into his knees as he used his battered large copper colored sword to shield him from the hail of lasers, missiles, cannonballs, shurikens, and whatnot.

Smoke filled the area, clouding vision as the wind died down, and a low growling noise could be heard inside the blurred space.

The long range type avatars prepared for the second blast, they began charging their weapons.

"Scatter! Windy Magnet Breeze!" Just then, a shower of yellowish sparks flowed out from a twirling yellow parasol that was wielded by a small avatar donning a frilly same-colored dress. As the Burst Linkers released their bullet hail, the concentration of the yellow particles almost blanketed the area near the dark gray avatar, who's head is slowly peeking out of the now starting to clear smoke.

With the initial burst of gunfire, the yellow cloud dust seemed to absorb the projectiles, making them either explode or just deflect, negating their destructive influence. Astonished at the sudden failure of their attempts, the ranged attackers gasped in shock, cradling their weapons as they stood haplessly, waiting for the smoke to clear out to gain vision over the area.

As the smoke cleared out, accompanied with the low grunts of a wounded monster, along with the startled gasps of the surrounding forces, eight shadows emerged out of the darkness, each wielding weapons, standing brazenly amidst the chaos and destruction.

"Let's mosey." The black clad avatar standing in front of them uttered in a confident voice, his weapon held firm with both hands.

"That line sucks so hard." Replied the icy white avatar who stood side by side with him before unleashing a hail of white aura that completely engulfed the area, purging the impure yellow-black smoke that permeated it previously.

"Haru... I'm taking you back." Kuroyukihime said silently to herself.

The stage is set, the actors are up in front, and the curtains are raised, the spotlights are shining brightly on them, this is the fight of salvation, an explosive finale!

* * *

A/N: Again, I apologize for the long delay, there's just too many work and other stuff to do but hey, this gives me additional time to make sure all ends are tied up and for the piece to be spelling-wise and grammar-wise correct. I hope you still cling on to the story even if it goes WAY off canon, I know it does! Don't worry, I've got everything planned by the letter so it won't go haywire. Again, Seiji here, until next chapter!

PS: Sword Art Online fic coming up!


	13. Chapter 13 Overclock

**Chapter Twelve: "Overclock"**

* * *

The smoke littered place started to calm down as eight ghastly shadows emerged out of the blurry scene, each one of them holding a weapon and standing brazenly amidst being smack dab in the middle of all this chaos and destruction.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGAAAAAHHHHH HH" The beast bellowed, trapped inside a yellow barrier that encircled it's entire girth. It tried breaking free, swinging it's arms wildly inside, but the shield did not budged even an inch, and it even muffled the screams and growls it loosed inside.

"Locked and secured, Master Noir, you may now proceed~" Said the frilly yellow dressed small avatar prancing around the perimeter, holding her same patterned parasol around, her green colored eyes fixated on to the jet black avatar who was standing ahead of all of them.

All eyes then focused on the twitching dark gray monstrosity inside the yellow barrier, it's thrashing figure violently trying to wriggle free out of it's binded state. "Just make sure he's not going to get hurt..." Murmured the black and purple avatar who was standing side by side with Noir Eraser, her gloomy purple goggled eyes craned in rigid attention at the imprisoned Silver Crow.

"Aye aye Black Lotus!" Came Topaz Canopy's cheerful reply while her hand quickly darted up on her forehead with a prompt salute.

"7th Rift, execute pattern Sigma." This time, the one leading in front of them spoke, his hand gesturing majestically out in front of him in a fanning motion, directing the two silver hued avatars into branching paths. "Void, take the left, Rage, take the right. Maverick and Pile, you mop up the rangers, Canopy, you support us from he rear while keeping up the barrier, Break and Hopper, you guys stay with Canopy and protect her from incoming attacks." He ordered, his voice commanding and firm.

"Lotus, you are coming with me, we are blitzing through this mess, eliminating as much avatars as we can, and we're heading up there..." Kenneth pointed up, towards the distance, where a faint image of two hulking avatars came into a blurry view. "...We are going to cut off this party's head."

Earning an immediate approving nods from the silent listeners he had, Kenneth confirmed their understanding and prepared himself as the same time as the others did, weapons clanging and stances flashing.

"CHAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGEEEEEE E!" He roared and the squad of multi-colored Burst Linkers sped off towards the still aghast opposition, who was still in slight disarray from their sudden appearance. The eight shadows thundered off, each trailing light and dust as they kicked off, their weapons swinging as they came into contact with their enemy, instantly engaging them in close quarter combat.

As ordered, Icicle Rage and Mercuric Void trailed off in separate paths, flanking the enemy. Miyu's rapier first came into contact with a copper colored avatar who was holding a blunt mace like weapon who didn't even realized what hit him as she sent her thin, pointed blade directly into his heart, piercing it in one go, shattering his avatar in one instant. Wasting no time, like a flash, she proceeded to rinse and repeat the same action for two other burst linkers who stood no chance against her.

"Linear Drive!" She said, after her blade parried two successive blows from the front and her left coming from two avatars, the knock back effect sending the two staggering back, and after completing the command chant, her figure glowed white before speeding straight towards between the enemies in front of her, shredding their armor into smithereens before making their own bodies explode into blue pixels.

On the other side, with the same pace as her, Mercuric Void was doing the same, the thing she was best at, destruction. Avatar after avatar fell to the might of her infinite weapon projection skill, each weapon she brandishes spelled a different kind of terror and death to the unfortunate Burst Linker to cross her path.

"Kukuku~" A wry smile formed on her lips as she conjured multiple masses of mercury which, seemed to float around her, blobs of mercury which fizzled as they hovered around her and just after a few seconds, it took the form of funnel shaped objects, the narrow side aimed forwards, and there was a total of eight of them who was still flying around her, slowly gyrating. "Fly!" Mercuric Void chanted, which was quickly followed by loud humming sounds as the funnels flew forwards, surrounding a duo of avatars who were rushing blindly.

"Wha-what's this?!" Came the harried words of one of them, before being cut into shreds, ribbons of his armors flying across the field as the funnels spat out lasers which disintegrated his body.

Seeing the brilliant flashes of white, coupled with traces of different colored pillars, marking the retirement of enemy Burst Linkers which showed up one after the other, Amethyst Maverick, together with Cyan Pile started launching their own attack, plunging head on into the enemy formation, spearheading the advance.

"Pierce the heavens! Lightning Cyan Spiiiiiiiiiike!" Bellowed Cyan Pile as he steadied his muscular avatar's body on the ground before firing off the Enhanced Armament he held using his right hand, the white spike thundering down against the huddled masses in front of him, shocked and panicking, they all met their demise swiftly. Seeing a couple of melee avatars rushing in by his sides, Takumu turned a hundred eighty degrees to meet them, facing them, his eyes seemingly ablaze, gazed upwards, checking his special gauges, which, by some weird chance, has reseted, maybe because he just executed a triple kill. "Shredding your dreams! Splash Stinger!" He shouted, chest plates opening at the same time before ejecting small needle-like projectiles flew out of the cavity of his armor, shredding the poor avatars who came into contact with it.

Taku gave a positive nod towards the direction of the purple avatar who was dashing speedily beside him, it's purple scarf fluttering behind him, his red eyes hidden beneath the darkened faceplate of his, partially obscured by the cloth like texture of his garment.

Amethyst Maverick's lips curled upwards as a barrage of lasers came greeting him, it's heat-seeking attributes taking effect as even though he tried altering his dash direction, a few scrapes was what he got, thanks to it's guided trajectory.

*ZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIINNNNNNN GGGGGGGG*

The space around the beam warped as it thundered through the air, targeting the purple avatar's slender body frame.

"Focus!" He silently chanted, his hands clasped together in a ninjutsu invoking posse, shortly before his body vanished into thin air, allowing the laser to zoom past his position. Amethyst Maverick's figure surfaced out of the mist a couple of meters away from the blast radius, completely dodging the beam that was aimed for him. Sensing the multitude of scopes all trained towards him, he again assumed his ninjutsu posse before vanishing, a haze of white mist left on his position.

Astonished, the trio of Burst Linkers who were crouching down a good distance away all exchanged blank stares, their faces painted with bewilderment as their target, who was locked down dead ahead in their sights. They decided to start creeping away from their hidden position, slowly moving away in order to get a better vantage view over the smoke-filled area where their foe vanished, but that was the last mistake they will make today...

"Ashes to ashes. Ichigeki Hissatsu!" Came the cold, deathly tone which seemed to emanate from the deepest bowels of hell, whispered to their ears by the phantom who emerged behind the retreating trio, his ghostly white blade, glowing pale amidst the blood it drew, slashed their throats, one by one in quick succession. Their windpipes crushed, they can only produce muffled sounds as their avatars crumbled into pixels, thus ending their turn in the battlefield.

Wasting no time, and certainly not proud of the triple kill he just did, the fleet-footed Amethyst Maverick averted his gaze away from the massacre, before dashing off towards the kill zone that was unfolding right before his very eyes.

The scene of carnage and destruction that was reflected off Noir Eraser's eyes sent shivers up and down his spine, no, not chills of fear and cowardice, but the kind of thrill that was the fruit of excitement. He couldn't contain the feeling of euphoria building within him, biting his lips hard, the soft skin started to crack, releasing a light yet steady flow of warm, red liquid streaming down his cheeks as he commandeered his avatar to grip it's weapon tightly, up to a point where his hands seem to be trembling.

"Scared?" Said the sleek, slender framed female type avatar who has blades for her limbs, her purple goggled eyes planted onto his same-colored avatar.

"Scared...?" Kenneth Kusanagi a.k.a Noir Eraser replied, quirking his eyebrows as he did. "...You don't say? Hahaha me? Scared? Of what? Of the weaklings right in front of me? What a joke. They are nothing but mindless pawns being ordered around into their own deaths. What a pathetic commander they have." He added, closely watching how precise his teammates are following his orders.

"...A pathetic commander huh..." Kuroyukihime replied back, tilting her head a little bit towards the side. "...Mindless pawns being tossed into the fray, into this game..." She reflected her stance in all of this farce, it was just like her, or soon will be like her, as she agreed to be under his command when all of this ends, she was, to say, will be one of his 'pawns', he can use and 'expend' at his leisure, and she can't go against it. She knows she can easily overpower him when it comes to raw numbers but, she recognizes his talents at leading his own band of Burst Linkers, as she can clearly see now, and it would, definitely destroy her and her Legion.

And she had no other choice but to agree, it's a win-win situation for both of them, besides, she's in a checkmate, whether or not she takes the bait or not.

"Although I can say that they have superiority in numbers, without a sound plan, they will all fall against our might, isn't that right, Black Lotus?" Making her snap back out of her thoughts, Kenneth whispered close to her ears. "Don't worry, I have control. Besides, if all goes well..." He then thrust his spear straight forwards, it's tip pointing towards a building far out in the distance. "...The heads of those two Kings, are yours to keep. A certain win-win situation for both of us, right? We get our precious experience and Burst Points up, you get to be two steps closer to being a Level 10 Linker, no, make that three, and although I'm not a hundred percent keen on having you do that, there's really no alternative way but for me to utilize your power as my trump card."

Yeah, her thoughts are correct all along. He's just using her as a 'tool' to move things along. But it doesn't matter to her, she wanted to save Haru no matter what the cost, even if the price tag would be the whole Legion, or even her own life inside the Accelerated World, she is ready to pay it.

"Now, with that said, I believe you, or rather we, have some work to do..." Kenneth added before purple crests beneath his feet started materializing, the thrusters behind him starting to heat up. "...I trust you already know what to do then." Immediately after his statement, Noir Eraser thundered off in a straight line, his thrusters emitting purplish red exhaust in the image of wings behind him, scarf fluttering mid-air, the dragoon armored warrior charged forward.

After affirming his statement with a nod and without wasting a second, the black and purple laden Black Lotus closely followed suit.

* * *

As chaos raged on the battlefield, the twin black avatars flashily made their way towards the tall building which houses the brains of this operation, the Blue and Green Kings. With their speed, the distance diminished in just a blink of an eye and the vertical barrier that the structure provided was just another walk in the park for the deadly duo as they just boosted their way upwards, breaching the final line of defense they had.

Arriving in a grandiose way, the two of them, Noir Eraser and Black Lotus found themselves in the presence of the Blue King, Blue Knight and the Green King, Green Grandee, and as if they were expected, the two opposing Kings didn't even had their weapons drawn and just donned a relaxed pose.

"Why, hello there, Black Lotus, we've been expecting you." Said the Green King as he gently bowed his head, his huge green colored cross shield held by his heavily muscled left arm while his right was held up horizontally against his avatar's ripped chest in a gesture of courtesy. "Oh, and you brought along..." His green colored eyes set deep under his helmet scanned Noir Eraser's figure from head to toe. "...Your pet?" Green Grandee added in a sarcastic tone which sent his blue companion chuckling.

Kenneth cocked up an eyebrow at that remark, but he didn't moved an inch.

Clanking noises started rattling behind the Green King as the heavily armored knight standing adjacent to him started moving his arms. "Hahaha, ever the joker ain't you, huh Grandee?" He chuckled while holding the handle of his huge blue great sword, currently sheathed and is tip down on the ground. "Anyways, it's a pleasure to see you again after all these years..." Still chuckling, he held the torso part of his body before continuing. "...Traitor."

Batting up her brow, Kuroyukihime had chills running down her back as she heard that word yet, she steeled her resolve and stood her ground, unflinching. "Oh, it's my pleasure, Blue Knight, Green Grandee..." She held her right hand sword up her torso, while her left wound behind her in her battle stance. "...It's such a pity that I'll be ending your respective stay here in the Accelerated World..." Bending her knees a little bit, it's as if she was poised to strike anytime now. "...Forever."

"Ho ho ho, do not be so sure, my fair lady." Responded the Green hulk of an avatar, his intimidating size towered over them. "Me and Vanquish have come here to specifically end Chrome Disaster's rampage, which endangers a lot, if not all Burst Linkers in our immediate area, and that also concerns you and your puny little Legion I believe." He added, not budging even an inch.

"Although, I wouldn't say it's the best of your interest, but I believe that the current incarnation of that monster is currently one of yours, am I right?" This time, the voice came from the blue heavily armored knight who wore a dark blue cape behind him and a twin horned helmet on his head, an image of an eighteen century armored knight strongly resembled his avatar. "...Or so I've heard, he's already been rampaging for around, a month's time here in the Accelerated World, and he's already claimed quite a few people both from mine and Grandee's Legions..."

Even if it was just a few hours in the real world starting when Haru became the next Chrome Disaster, inside the place where time accelerated a thousand fold, it has already ballooned in to a full month or so, both Kuroyukihime and Kenneth realized, as they both felt relieved to have acted as soon as they can, in order to make up for the lost time, both in the real world and in this crazy, insane realm.

"Yeah, he's right. Heck, last count I made it was already around three from mine, not counting the people who's points were greatly reduced." Grandee picked up where the Knight left off. "In that case, we've decided to make up an execution force to take him down once and for all, so the peace we've built and protected would be restored, but I guess this isn't the most sweet smelling cup of tea you've heard, am I right?" He added.

The last statement the Green King said made Kuroyukihime glance downwards, her tensed up form relaxed, if only for a bit, thanking the heavens she made the right choices, even if it will definitely cost her dearly later on. "Of course. The current generation of that damned armor is one of my own, and I should be the one to either save him..." She swallowed hard before continuing, the words kinda hard for her to speak of. "...Or purge him."

"Hoooh. A bold statement, Black King. Are you sure you're up to the task of doing so, when he is the one whom you gave your one and only chance to pass on Brain Burst?" As if squinting his eyes, both of his avatar's and his own in real life, Blue Knight antagonized Kuroyukihime's argument, crushing it's foundation and hitting her right where it hurts the most. "Are you a hundred percent sure that that is the only reason why you came here? Or is there any other... Undertones to this visit of yours?" His head trained towards the spear wielding avatar who was right next to Black Lotus as he continued.

All this while, Kenneth Kusanagi was just listening in the exchange of words from the three Pure Colored Kings who was standing right before him, carefully analyzing their actions, their words, as well as the little actions they made as they carried in their little conversation. He just stood there, not moving an inch, as he continued to listen in, making notes as to where his supposed comrade, Black Lotus, was being hampered in, argument-wise.

Before long, and after the last statement was given, he decided to join in.

"Uh huh. There sure are hundreds, no, maybe thousands of underlying causes to this little 'visit' of ours to this forsaken world." His lips curled up to form a wry smile as he, Noir Eraser, spoke up. "Not only are we here to rescue her comrade, but we are also here to devour you and your Legion's Burst Points, what other cause are there anyway? Aren't we are supposed to fight each other to the bitter end in this game? Or are you guys no more than mere cowards, hiding behind the false 'peace' you have been championing all the way through?" Kenneth couldn't help but to sickly grin as he delivered those words to the two Kings before him.

"Hahaha. Surely you jest, you dog." Sounding a little bit infuriated and agitated at his words, Blue Knight, who's nickname 'Vanquish' was coined from the multitudes of Burst Linkers who perished from his hands, pulled up his sword, then slammed it back to the ground which sent a loud thudding sound. "Not only your words are as hollow as your brain, but your tones suggest you dare stand up against a King or two? Hahahaha. Don't make me laugh, boy. You are nothing but a dog, and dogs like should stay on the ground with your heads down where you belong!" Kuroyukihime's purple goggled avatar's face turned towards Kenneth, surprised that he was able to make the usually calm and steady Blue Knight snap in just one mere sentence. The longer she watched Kenneth Kusanagi, the more impressed she is becomes. Not only has this kid surpassed that certain level of maturity both in the real world, as well as inside the Accelerated World, to make him able to perceive these kinds of plans, words and stuff, but he also attained and reached past the level of intellect of a normal everyday Burst Linker she encounters on a daily basis.

In short, he is becoming more and more like a real, true King, in her eyes that is. A true leader whom someone can really look up to, someone who is destined to lead, someone who is not only an 'icon' but rather, a symbol, a persona, an entity that encompasses all borders to lead his men to victory, a real, true champion. She can clearly see the path laid down before him, a thorny, narrow, full of hardships, but for every step along the way, a promised glory is laid down for him to grab and behold. Such is a path she is on right now, and a path she will always walk, even if it leads to her own ruin.

A light giggle escaped Kenneth's lips as he stabbed his spear in to the ground, his body leaning against it. "A dog, you say? Ha... Hahaha... Hahahaha..." He no longer could contain his laughter and it soon turned into a loud one. "...Hahahaha. And you call yourself a King, whilst hiding behind the pretense of 'ceasefire', while you still lead this assault? Oh, the irony, please tickle me blue..." He earned the hateful gazes of both the Kings, but he decided to continue, his blood boiling up. "...But don't worry, I won't protest even if you call me a dog. After all, once a rabid dog bites a King, he falls to rabies, and that is exactly what I will do to you, right here, right now." Picking up his spear, he readied himself for combat.

Kuroyukihime did the same, a small smile on her lips could be seen as she did.

Without any further exchange, the Blue King Blue Knight and the Green King Green Grandee both assumed their own battle stances, with Grandee moving in front, his huge cross shaped shield blocking his massive body, while Knight was behind him, his sword withdrawn from it's sheath and is now held by two of his ripped, muscular arms in a standard front guard stance. The two Kings stayed silent, as if gauging their enemies.

The air tensed up as the noises of the distant chaos brought by the hush of the assault team began to die down, in exchange, gusts of wind blew past them, creating a more dubious aura that seemed to make their encounter more and more of a showdown.

Noir Eraser glanced towards Black Lotus one more time, re-affirming her stance with a nod. The black female avatar gave out a positive, quick rap of her head to confirm. Within the heartbeat, purple crests formed beneath Eraser's feet and back, his thrusters exhaling a reddish glow that gave off a warm demeanor, steadily flowing out of the square verniers, it started to flow freely, forming three pairs of archangel-like wings of light on his back.

At the same time, Black Lotus began to silently gather her suppressed power deep inside, particles of green began to seep out of the vent-like opening throughout her armor. "Mode Change! Code Green! Overdrive!" Briefly after ending her chant, all the translucent parts of her outer carapace, including her faceplate goggles became saturated with those green particles, completely changing their hue, which now shine a brilliant green.

The place soon became saturated with mixed colored particles, both emitted by the black avatars who held their weapons ready, then came the calm before the storm, a single set of words were exchanged.

"Are you sure about this, Black Lotus?" Shouted Blue Knight as he kept his composure on.

"I am. I won't be repeating the same mistakes that I did before..." Was Kuroyukihime's answer, conveying her unwavering thoughts to her enemy. "...I will never leave a comrade behind, no, not anymore, not this time. So come at me with everything you've got, as I will, and I will cut you down mercilessly to attain what I came here for!" She further exclaimed, heightening up her bravado.

"Very well." Murmured Green Grandee in response, his shield hoisted further up, covering his entire body.

With the closure of those words, every fighter knew, recognized and accepted the fact that this is an inevitable fight, one wherein there's a chance they won't be able to live through, but in spite of that fact, each one of them filled their fleeting consciousness with bravery, enough to subdue those feelings, and as each of them wielded their weapons with conviction, they all wanted to have their justice realized, and they would do anything to achieve it.

The thunder roared and the heavens twisted as the violent explosion of multi-colored particles sent shock waves over the place, in the midst of it, the twin black avatars charged together, with Noir Eraser as the vanguard, while Black Lotus was in the rear. The two of them spiraled together towards the awaiting Blue and Green Kings, their formation unchanged, sword and spear held forwards.

In the distance, Miyuki Waldstein heard a loud booming sound, followed by shock waves which rattled the very ground they were standing on.

* * *

*BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM*

The force of the shock wave rocked the entire expanse of the area, felt by all of the Burst Linkers who were currently engaged in the royal rumble a couple of kilometers away, their knees trembled and their feet weakened as the waves forced them on to either a knee or two.

"Whoa. Master Noir sure is having his fun over there~" Topaz Canopy murmured half-heartily as she smacked another avatar down, her frilly yellow umbrella doing the damage, ending the life of the dazed avatar who was inflicted with all sorts of status ailments her arsenal had to offer which made his demise a sweet escape from pain. "~But I do hope they don't have too much fun as the barrier I placed will not last forever, and we need to get this done as well..." She continued, gesturing towards the enemy who were regrouping just a couple of blocks down.

Finishing up the avatar before her, Icicle Rage, now rejoined by Mercuric Void who finished moping up the flanks made a downwards sweeping slash of her thin rapier, splashing gooey bits and pieces of the enemy's grime on the ground. "We've eliminated a good more or less eighty percent of them, I believe, and that the ones that are regrouping right now are in disarray as most likely, no new orders have been issued to them, hence the stagger formation." The sub-leader of the 7th Rift explained as the rest of the Legion gathered near her, all of them completing the first phase of their pattern.

"So, we're moving to second phase now, Miyu?" Responded the silvery avatar standing parallel to her, her slimy yet firm looking hands glittered in the limelight whilst still holding a pair of curved blades whose arc closely resembled a katana. "We're starting to run behind schedule, based on the time table Kenneth handed us." She added, raising one of her swords, pointing towards the uproar of avatars down the block.

"I'm starting to get low on HP, think we can still pull it off?" This time, it was the hulking blueish violet avatar Cyan Pile who spoke up, his figure dragging a limp leg behind, signifying that he sustained damages, the huge pile bunker held by his right hand being dragged on the ground as he walked to join Kenneth's Legion. "And I also believe not all of you came unscathed from your encounters as well..." He pointed out, making everybody else notice the green bar on the upper left hand corner of their vision.

Seeing the smug faces of her comrades, Miyuki's resolve started to waver. They are still Burst Linkers, avatars themselves and no matter how much better they are when in terms of experience and levels, overwhelming numbers will eventually take it's toll on their body, as shown by her very own HP bar, who now sits just a couple of pixels up halfway through, which might also be the case for everybody else, as she scanned around.

Standing atop a light post, the purple colored ninja garb wearing avatar Amethyst Maverick began to feel unease as his sensors, which were dropped randomly across the area began transmitting signals of danger, even his ultra-sensitive fox ears began twitching all around, letting his system know that problem's coming. "Uhh... Guys, I think discussion time is over, they've finished regrouping and is now preparing to attack us head on..." He said while holding one hand over his brows to check up the distance.

Hearing Maverick's warning, everybody reflexively went into their combat stances, albeit fatigue starting to leave an impression into them, their postures hampered by their own gasping breaths. "Adopt Pattern Six Stars of the North Dipper! Maverick, Topaz, stay back and act as support, Pile, Void, with me, we stand in front and repel them with indirect attacks! Everyone! Don't die on me!" Miyuki a.k.a Icicle Rage ordered, her words slipping easily out of her mouth like a hot knife through butter, results of her being in constant presence of Kenneth herself.

The ground again shook with the marching of the grand assembly of the two King's armies, mixed colors of Burst Linkers flooded the street which lead to the barricaded road blockade done by the 7th Rift, with four of their melee fighters placed in front, with support fire covering them from behind. A basic tactic from a simple point of view, but the tactical formation of their melee fighters provided good buddy to buddy cover while the stronger ones were positioned on a slightly higher ground where they can easily launch a pincer attack against the funneled enemy.

In short, they just re-formed another killing zone.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Bellowed the dark blue colored muscular avatar who held a large axe over his head, as he surmounted the stacked concrete blocking the way, his large, muscular arms flailing as he shouted like a madman while he charged blindly. "HOOOOOOAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

*BANG!* Then came a single booming sound, not that loud, but not that soft as well, as Maverick fired off a round coming from his flintlock rifle, sending a red hot slug right between the charger's eyes, creating a huge hole which exploded violently which in turn, shook the berserker's body before making it fall down and shattering into pixels. Blowing off the steam that came out of the barrel, a wry smile formed beneath his fox mask currently worn to increase his accuracy.

As the initial melee forces saw what happened to their vanguard, they immediately ceased their advance, stopping their speedy march to a grinding halt. The lead avatar who seemed to be the one currently in charge held his right hand up, making the rest slow down, as he raised it further, the avatars currently positioned further back in their stagged formation started to raise their weapons, ranged weapons that is, and as the 'leader's' hand went down, they released a full salvo of long ranged fire directed into the opposing flank.

"Stealing the Show! Heavy Chaff Rain!" With a sweet voice, Topaz Canopy chanted her aria, which in turn showered the area with yellow dust like particles, saturating the air with a luscious sweet smell while camouflaging their positions. "Let's see if you can still touch my guys ahaha~" With a wink, she finished twirling her frilly yellow dress around, ceasing the particle release from her parasol.

The hot lines the lasers traced fried the air around, as a multitude of beams were fired from each barrel available, aiming to desolate the camped avatars in the distance, not only lasers, but all sorts of bullets, missiles, bombs, and whatever projectiles can be thrown were released, hoping for a potshot. But in just a dew seconds, the opposing team of Burst Linker's hopes were dashed as they saw a huge cloud of yellow dust starting to form and encircle the encampment, effectively covering their positions and completely blurring their vision.

A wicked and sadistic smile formed on Canopy's lips as the projectiles were rendered useless as they hit her particles head on, causing the lasers to diffuse and the solid rounds to corrode, rendering them useless and the efforts behind them naught. /SPACE/ "DO NOT FALTER! CHAAAAAAAAAAARGE!" Seeing that the barrage he ordered was nullified, the 'leader' of the army decided to charge ahead and just take matter in to close ranged combat, as his hand signal came down, so did the avatars who were all tough looking, as their colors composed mainly of blue and green, and their trademarks were both physical types, being melee strength and toughness and vitality, avatars that were more suited to direct, close quarters combat so to say.

The ground began to rumble once more, the harried and heavy stomps of the foot soldiers done on the earth causing it to shake with fury.

Realizing that they stand no ground against direct combat with them, because they will just be outnumbered, Miyuki decided to put in to action one of the plans discussed to her by Kenneth. "Team, execute Pattern Theta, Variation Alpha!" She shouted the directive, with almost everyone confirming it immediately, and only Cyan Pile was left with a question mark on his head. "Oh. Yeah. Pile, your task would be to take down those buildings and block the road as much as you can while retreating in sync with Void and me, come on let's go, we don't have time!" She added as she pointed towards the deserted buildings around the street.

After confirming with a light nod, Cyan Pile took a few steps back before firing off his pile bunker straight into the exposed foundations of the building to his right, the thick, pointed pile driver smashing the concrete pillar and shattering it in to bits and pieces, weakening it's structure and making it buckle under it's own wight, causing it to collapse and block the road behind them. Without wasting time, Taku gathered all the strength he had left and sprinted to catch up with the rest of the group.

"Tch, what a slippery bunch." Clicking his tongue, the lead avatar halted his advance once again after finding the mass of concrete currently blocking his path. "Up we go! Everyone climb this blockade now!" He barked an order as he started scaling the pile of wreckage which loomed before him, behind him, the others followed suit.

"NOW!" A female voice dominated the field, a strong, rampart and unwavering tone that subdued the noises around, which was closely followed by a loud explosion that rocked the area, the main blast radius originating from behind the group of Burst Linkers who were now huddled by the foot of the ruined building, preparing to scale it, the structure behind them toppled one after the other, collapsing behind them and effectively cutting of their retreat.

His wits thrown inside out, the leader was stopped dead in his ascent as he clung on to the rubble for his dear life as the explosion ripped through them, the shock wave hitting their exposed body, some of them falling in to their doom from Environmental Death. Hearing the woe cries of the wounded and the expiring, he realized they have completely fallen against their enemy's trap, his sheer rage blinding him and causing him to miscalculate everything, every step of the way.

And it will surely cost them dearly.

Six shadows emerged out of the tall skyscrapers that surrounded the trapped and confused rag tag army, each holding their own weapons trained towards the doomed bunch, and with smirks on their lips, they descended down on them, like thunder, they roared as they did, delivering the hammer of justice with all their might.

* * *

I never thought that fighting a King would be a very different experience from all other Burst Linkers I've fought, and would be very taxing to this body of mine. I always believed that everything could be given a solution through various tactical counter-measures, but now I know that real-time tactics would mean a lot, given the difference in our stances.

The last spear stab I threw which was aimed towards the pesky blue knight was all but deflected by the green's shield, their tandem clicks really well and their teamwork with each other was on a totally different level than what me and Lotus could do, who, up until now, were still struggling to even get a hit in, as our attacks are either blocked by Grandee's shield or parried back by Knight's sword.

Propelling myself using the counter-momentum of the recoil I sustained with the blow that he deflected which sent me to the wall, I counter-attacked on a different elevation, utilizing the boosters in my back to push me upwards before zooming down directly on Knight while Lotus keeps Grandee in check with a flurry of her sword combo. I placed my spear in front of my body, becoming one with my weapon, placing my hopes in it and pushing my fears aside, I charged.

"HOOOOOAAAAAHHHH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, burning my lips as I blasted downwards with speeds that exceeded a mach, and in just a couple of seconds, I heard the distinct sound of metal clashing against metal, the blade of my spear meeting the straight edge of Knight's great sword as he parried it square on, a shower of sparks rained against my head, scraping against my cheeks which burned, I bit my lips hard as pain assaulted me.

"Not yet-!" I continued to scream as the force of my descent continued to weigh me down, my spear inching closer and closer towards the blue Knight's slitted helmet. But I realized it might not be enough so I increased the output of my thrusters further, the heat beginning to spread all over my back and as both of my feet landed on the ground, I kept his sword in check, as both our blades entwined in combat, I lashed out with my foot, the blow connected to his shin, sending a grunt out of his mouth.

"Hrrng-!" Was the wry sound that escaped the knight's lips as he broke off the deadlock their blades were in to, sending both of them a good distance apart. "Good, good. You entertain me, boy!" He bellowed as he launched his big, armored body, sprinting towards where the slender black avatar was down on one knee, his great sword held with both hands, it's gleaming edge reflecting off the faint light of the battlefield.

Looking up my tattered helmet, I saw the Knight charging towards me with reckless abandon. Gazing up on the upper left hand side of my vision, I also noticed that my Special Attack Gauge was already up halfway, which will allow me to... "Drown in the abyss! Blackest Sanctum!" I muttered under my irregular breath as a thick, dark miasma began seeping out of the crack of my armor, saturating the ground with the black matter.

Half a second later, I smirked as I saw the significant decrease of speed of the Knight as the greaves he wore dredged up the darkness beneath him, and in no time, the miasma started creeping up his legs, bringing him down on both knees, crawling like a pig. "Hahahahahah! So who's down on his hands and feet now, pig?!" I shouted as I made my own advance, lashing out the downed avatar with the blunt sides of my spear, hearing the satisfying sounds of metal hitting his body, I laughed like a mad maniac, bloodlust starting to consume my hands as my pupils widened in ecstasy, relentlessly assaulting him over and over and over and over and over until my hands went numb.

"Split and take form! Splintered Wings!" I activated one of the skills I favored using, the spear I held in both hands suddenly loosening out, extending into it's chained eight part form. Eyeing up my foe, who was still down, moping the ground, I confirmed that he was still incapacitated before throwing the chained spear on to him, which wrapped his body in a tight bind, the intense squeeze made his breathing sounds wheeze.

Then, summoning all my strength, I pulled the connection with all my might, the muscles in my arms tensing up, my back arched in a 'C' shape and my teeth gritted my lips tightly, enough to break the skin, allowing a slight drip of blood. The chain rattled, ringing lightly as the ground trembled while the huge knight was dragged haphazardly on the tarmac, leaving behind a darkened trail. "HRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH!" Releasing a full breath, I threw his body in an arc, releasing the grip as he crashed in to the far wall of the shed of the building, destroying it and burying him under the rubble.

A few seconds passed, the sound of metal still reverberating around the area, I glanced sideways and saw my partner, Black Lotus, still keeping the Green King Green Grandee in check with a flurry of attacks, relentlessly barraging him with swift and precise sword strikes, which were in turn, met by the inhumanly large cross shaped shield, as he turtled behind it. Seeing that there weren't any noticeable movements from my designated target, Vanquish, I decided to step in to her fray to lend a hand.

"Black Lotus!" I shouted as I steadily charged towards the deadlocked avatars, with the Black King quickly noticing me and acknowledging my presence, while Grandee didn't mind at all as he continued to hold the line in a steadfast manner. Seeing her breaking the lock, I regrouped with her just a few feet away from our enemy. "The Knight's under the rubble and I doubt he'd be returning to the field anytime soon. Got any ideas on how to bring that guy down?" I asked the silently floating slender avatar beside me.

"Although they say that the best defense is the best offense, I do believe his defense is not perfect, even though it looks like it, there must be some way in which we can pierce through..." She replied in a low voice, ragged breathing could be heard in between her words. "...Since your Enhanced Armament is a Spear type, I believe it has some sort of skill or ability to momentarily pierce an enemy's defense, am I right?"

Come to think of it, I do. "Yeah, I may have just the right skill we can use..." I brandished my spear, swinging it in an arc before bringing it's tip forward, aimed towards the dead center of the shielded avatar before us. "...My skill 'Heart Under Blade' momentarily severs the energy flow between the nearest focal point and it's source, meaning, if that shield is an Enhanced Armament of his, then my skill should be able to cut off their connection, severing the flow of energy fed to it, making it at the very least, two or three seconds wide open and unsupplied with energy, rendering it as brittle as undermined concrete." I explained, making sure I completely relay the info to her to make sure she understands how it works.

"There we go. And I trust you already have a plan then?" Flicking her swords left and right, back and forth, the sound of air being cut rang deeply inside my ears.

"Follow closely behind me, I'll cut his defense off, and in that window, you deliver a precise attack to the weakest point of his shield to break it off." I then whispered lowly, to prevent the enemy from overhearing our course of action. "Our time is running out, we're already behind schedule and I'm getting a bad feeling for my guys who are holding the fort down there." I said, remembering my Legion, the people who are making this encounter with the Kings possible.

Without any distinguishing remark, she just readied herself, and I took that as my cue. Checking the rubble where Vanquish lay dormant, making sure that he's still not up, I eyed Grandee, who, just stood there solitary, as if mocking us by indirectly telling us that he's invincible... But it won't be for long. My hands began to tremble, my blood began pumping harder, sweat started dripping down from my brow and my throat constricted, slightly glancing sideways, I caught my partner's slight trembling, reflected through the light mincing movements of her sword arms.

Who wouldn't be? If she gets beaten by one of them, it's all over, that's it, Brain Burst will end for her, and Haru will be either forever locked down here, or will loose Brain Burst as well, and either way, it's a no go, so I can't blame her if she gets nervous over this matter, even I am for keep's sake. But no, I won't lose, I will see this through with my goal cleared, even if I have to face the toughest of adversities, the most daring challenges, I will surmount all the obstacles in my path.

This is the path of a King.

In a blink of an eye, I charged forward, reddish exhaust trailing behind me, mixing with Black Lotus' purple exhaust and with the dirt that we kicked off. "Disintegrate! Heart Under Blade!" I bellowed under a full breath as I lunged forward with my spear, black aura surrounding it's tip which flowed from it's main body. It met the pure green cross shield of our opponent square on, and a loud metallic ring resounded.

A hairline crack started to appear on it's shiny surface, and in just a split second, that crack doubled, tripled and eventually spread like a spider web on the shield's surface, evidence that my attack went through, as the black miasma started to fill in the crack's gaps, forcing them to open wider and wider. I increased my thrust, the wings of light intensified, fully forming in to a six part archangel wing form. Finally, after a loud boom, a hole appeared, just big enough for me to gaze in to the deep set green eyes of the Level 9 Green King, my eyes squinted as our gazes met.

"LOTUS! NOW!" As I barked my words harshly, the black phantom behind me jumped over my shoulders, her sword arms crossed in front of her.

"Death by..." The sharp fang-like sword she has in exchange for her hands glowed purple, heat starting to build up and I can feel it crawling on my skin, as she prepared to deliver a piercing blow directly in to Grandee's face when...

*BAAAAAAAAAAAM!*

Right in the middle of me, who was retreating, and Black Lotus who was on the verge of attacking, the ground below us exploded and crumbled, and from it sprang forth a hulking blue avatar, it's horned helmet an ominous sight that beheld me as it's blade ripped through both the front side of my armor, shattering parts of it, and grazing the back side of Lotus' skirt armor. Pain shot through me as I was snapped away from the surprise, and I wasn't able to scream at all as I saw the Knight's gleaming blue eyes, gazing and piercing into my very soul.

"Your soul is mine!" Hearing his low grumble, I started to scramble after tumbling in to a defensive roll after crashing on the ground, making sure that Lotus was still doing fine, her body slumped against Grandee's shield but her left sword arm embedded deeply on his sides, causing green liquid to spurt out of it and stain the ground. Quickly snapping back to my own dilemma, I saw blue flame searing the blade of the Knight's great sword, enveloping it in a bright blue light. "Howl! Crescent Moonlight Slash!" As he finished, he swung his sword in a wide arc in front of him, the blue flame leaving trails behind, before solidifying in to a curved beam that rapidly closed in to me.

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I saw the blade beam that's careening towards me, and as instinct, I tried ducking out of it, but it still did grazed me, the backside of my armor burned and the smell of roasted metal hung in the air as my carapace got twisted and deformed by the heat. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! FFFFFFFFFFFF!" I crashed on the ground face first, unable to bear the intense pain from getting burned.

"How... HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME WITH YOUR FILTHY HANDS!" The Knight held his arms far out and wide, not minding both Grandee and Lotus, who were now engaged in combat once more. His huge blue gauntlets were tightly curled in to a ball, and his right hand gripped the huge sword like it was nothing but paper. "CYCLONE SLASH!" In an instant, blue flame once again wrapped it's length, and after just a few seconds, he swung it again, this time releasing a small hurricane-like projectile that traveled towards me, picking up the dust, dirt and everything in-between it's path of destruction.

Realizing that it'll be fatal if I get hit, I mustered all the strength I could and dived out of it's path, rolling on the ground just a few meters away from the swirl of blue energy careening down my previous place. As I landed, in the corner of my eye was a flash of bluish white light, followed by the numbing of my shoulder blades as my peripheral vision rolled, my mind going blank as I felt the cold, hard concrete embrace my body.

"Haaahh... Not... Bad..." I grunted out of my ragged breath, picking myself up, my twisted and tangled armor shattered in pieces. "...But... I'm not done yet!" With an explosive force that even I don't know where or how I even mustered it, I threw myself head-on, the thrusters behind me growling as the hardware was taxed with the toll of pressure and abuse, evident in the color of exhaust it gave, which was more on the redder hue this time, and a more jagged outline for the wing like pattern.

"As if I'd let you!" Vanquish moved in response, bringing down his huge sword to bear and bar down the piercing stab of my spear.

But I wasn't really aiming for that. "Splintered Wings!" I commanded, the spear Schwarzer Flugeln I held in my hands shook a little bit, before loosening up and extending, it's exterior splitting up, revealing chains that run through the entire length. After confirming that my Special Attack Gauge still had gas in it, I continued chanting. "My deepest, darkest desires, materialize! Soul Eater!" Black energy streamed forth from within my body, engulfing my entire arm, including the chained spear. Black flames ravaged it's entire extended length, blackness that seemed to seethe with anger and hate.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I pushed his huge sword with a part of the spear, while the other parts wriggled their way on to wrap to the Knight's gauntlets, and up to his forearms.

I clearly saw the spear tip piercing the area just below his collarbone, the armor covering it punctured deeply, bluish liquid spluttering out as the black blade violated whatever was under the pretense of his craggy exterior. At the same time, I glanced up to confirm something; the green bar on the upper left hand side of my peripheral vision which was notches below the halfway point was slowly but surely creeping up, the green hue color regaining it's shine.

The stalemate broken, Vanquish was suddenly assaulted by a sharp piercing pain, which, further infuriated him. Pushing the deadlock of their blades while clenching the bind that was brought by the wrapped chain on his arm, he jerked it real hard, sending the black lancer on the other end to his knees, dragged on the floor, wriggling the chain off in the process. "Face my wrath! Infinity Edge!" Raising his white sword which gleamed a bluish hue, the Knight charged forward, releasing a flurry of blows against Noir Eraser.

"Shit shit shit." My knees rattled, my whole body was being torn by pain in almost every place imaginable. I breathed rather heavily, forcing larger intakes of air to compensate for the breathlessness I was feeling. And I thought I had him there, but I was thankful enough to leech off even just a little bit of HP, bringing it up over the halfway mark and up to almost full, regenerating the more battered parts of my armor, but the parts that were only slightly damaged, stayed the same as my HP bar wasn't full.

Recovering from my fall, I almost despaired as I saw Vanquish moving towards me at high speeds, his blade drawn in a wide arc high up above him in an almost hacking stance, it's sheer size intimidating as he wielded it with precision and technique. Thankfully, I recovered, giving me a slight boost in my stamina again. I retracted my spear, clanking as it's partitions re-joined to form the long and slender body it had, before holding it using both hands and lurching upwards, my thrusters exhaling finer red particles this time, signifying it's return to normal conditions.

The distance closed, the Knight looked up to me as I spurted a few good meters up before plunging spear first towards him for a direct clash. Our glaring gazes came in contact with each other, imaginary sparks of lightning scattered about as they gleamed, with the sight of victory just within reach.

"VANQUISH! YOUR THROAT IS MINE!" As I inched closer, I could feel the chilly air that separated me from my opponent, my cheeks being brushed by the cold tempest of the battlefield. I shouted to cover for the fear I could feel which was creeping from behind me, pray tell me that something will go wrong. For once, I ignored my own logic, ignoring my own gut feelings.

The charging Knight just continued to move forward, emotionless. And that was when I confirmed that something really is off. I was too late to curse my own foolishness of not following my own gut feeling.

From my left, in the corner of my eye as everything else was blurry, I caught a faint image of something black, quickly heading towards me. As my speed further increased, I squinted my eye just a few seconds before it finally registered. To my horror, it was Black Lotus, her battered body was sent flying towards me for some reason. Clicking my tongue since I couldn't halt my descent, I just braced myself for impact.

"Hnnngg!" I held my spear in my left hand as I caught the fragile female avatar that was sent towards me, realizing that her small lithe frame was indeed really light which allowed her to move very quickly. With her body safely in my arms, I cradled her, then I twisted my body around so that my back now faced the charging Blue Knight, while her body was in front of me, clear away from danger.

I shut my eyes tightly and waited for the incoming harried blades.

In just a few seconds, swift judgment was delivered as the sword crashed against my back, my vision flashed white, before fading back to the darkness, the deep and lasting pain shot through my now numb body, I bit my lower lip, and I couldn't help but let the wetness from my eyes to form at the edges, but I didn't let a single tear drop. No, I will not cry over something like this, even if our situation was far hopeless as I predicted. No, this will not end like this. I still have much to do in this realm, and I haven't even started to bring justice for my sister.

Ignoring the pain through my own will alone, I activated the thruster behind me, bathing the Blue Knight with a shower of red-hot sparks. Covering his face using his free hand, it allowed me to boost out of his reach, briefly seeing the Green King who was still standing amidst all the gash marks on his body and I also noticed his cross shield, which has now been reduced to almost the upper half, as the right cross arm and the lower half was missing, as well as sustaining numerous cracks on it's surface, along with the huge hole I blasted in the middle of it.

"Oi! Lotus! Hold it together!" I grunted to the avatar I was carrying, worried sick about her condition because she's a total goner once she's beaten by a fellow Level 9 King. I lightly shook her shoulders, her head bobbed a couple of times before lighting up, a soft glow under her purple faceplate signaling that the life within her was still burning. I heaved a sigh of relief at the sight.

Black Lotus slowly shifted her head towards the gaze of her savior. "Th-thanks..." She murmured under a soft breath as she quickly looked away, obviously embarrassed by it. "...And sorry, I really had a hard time getting past Grandee's defense even when I went all out." Kuroyukihime added, letting her tense body relax in Kenneth's arms.

Kenneth didn't paid that much attention to her words as the pain kept him from thinking straight, just barely enough to be able to assess the situation and plan a move ahead. "Never mind that. It's not as if I fared well in my own fight. We got to do something, we're running out of time..." He replied as he skipped past another building, gaining distance away from the two Kings who, followed them at a slower pace, as if they were deliberately letting them run.

"I'm afraid... We might need to have a change of plans, it's just not working and I'm almost out of steam..." Complained the black princess, her voice demanding yet powerless. "...I don't care even if I get defeated by a King but not before I save Haru!" She added as they gently landed a top a water tank-like structure above a building.

Ceasing the activities of his thruster, his feet once again landed flat on a hard surface, letting him bring down the avatar he was carrying. Nimbly moving his fingers across his body, Kenneth accessed a couple of menus, allowing him to patch himself through to the other avatars of his 'Legion'. "This is Noir Eraser. To all the members of The 7th Rift, execute Order 66. I repeat, execute Order 66."

* * *

As soon as Icicle Rage recovered from the rubble, she subtlety wiped the soot off her now dirty white exterior armor as she picked herself out of the mess, as she regrouped with the rest of her comrades who were doing the same as her, dusting themselves. "Is everyone all-" Her words were interrupted as a small pop-up window to her left side vision opened, and the channel indicated the special channel assigned to her by her Master, Noir Eraser. Miyuki promptly flicked her index finger to open the Voice Mail.

"This is Noir Eraser. To all members of The 7th Rift, execute Order 66. I repeat, execute Order 66."

Was what the message contained, and what it clearly denoted. Miyuki felt the beads of sweat that accumulated on her brows drip slowly down her cheeks, the chilly feeling it gave off sent shiver up and down her back.

Order 66.

Those two words meant a lot for her. Those were orders that her Master, Kenneth Kusanagi a.k.a Noir Eraser gave specifically to her, and only to her. And it contains a special set of steps that will ensure their team's victory in any given time. But there was a catch. They can only is it once, just once, as it denotes the use of a 'Special Application' that Kenneth had entrusted to her, that even she doesn't know what for, which she needs to Execute and Run while inside the Unlimited Neutral Field, and the rest will be taken from there on by Kenneth himself.

What will happen or how it will happen, only Kenneth knows it. But she was instructed that she ought to use it only when she is directed to do so, and it is not something she can use at any given time or out of luxury. He made her realize it's gravity.

But at this point, the order has been given, and she had no other qualms to Execute the file.

Miyuki slowly turned her back around her comrades, who were still giggling about, celebrating the success of their raid against the King's army, while surrounding the wailing Silver Monster still trapped in the yellow barrier. As she closed the Voice Call window, she threw a quick glance towards the horizon, seeing shadows leaping from building to building. She then glided her finger across her screen, clicking a gear-like icon on the upper left hand corner of the vision. A dark colored window popped open, replacing her usual pink-themed interface, it's more or less looking like a Command Prompt as it's just a plain black window with gray text.

After extracting her visual keyboard and keying in the login credentials given to her, the window disappeared, and was replaced by red System Prompts, indicating that she was about to execute a malicious file and whether or not she was sure about it. Without a second doubt, she clicked Yes.

The Notification vanished in a blink of an eye, and her desktop returned to it's normal view. Suddenly, the world scene around them, flashed white a couple of time, gaining the attention of everybody else, after the disorienting flashes, the world corroded into red blocks of System Notifications, with the big bold letters "WARNING!" in the middle.

"Wh-what's going on?!" A worried hum escaped from Amethyst Maverick's lips as he jumped off the pile of rubble he was sitting on to join the huddling team, who were equally stunned and confused at the sudden development in the field.

"This is Kenneth's plan. Come, we need to make sure the target is secured until our Master arrives!" Miyuki gestured with her hands, pointing towards the encroached monstrosity trapped inside the barrier. "The barrier won't last longer, will it, Topaz Canopy?" She asked the now silent yellow avatar as she sat in one corner of the rubble, her usual energetic behavior grinded to a halt with the stress of all the defensive maneuvers she provided the team, on top of keeping the barrier for Silver Crow up, which was in constant assault the whole time.

"...I'll... Try to... Hold it... For as long... As I... Can... Ha... Hahaha..." Her reply came from under the blues, accompanied with wheezing breath and a very tired voice. "...I'm... Sorry... But I think... I won't be... Of any other... Use... Right now..." Canopy added as she struggled for air, earning the worried look of everyone amidst the red scene around them, as they were all surrounded by System Notifications.

Even the monster that Silver Crow had become stood silently as the scene around him changed.

After a minute of being bombarded by strings of codes, syntaxes and new algorithm, the system finally recovered, re-patched and re-established it's integrity. As the red warning signs started disappearing, the previous battlefield, the futuristic city of The New World was steadily being eaten by some sort of rainbow colored aura, covering the entire area from the ground up, and it's place came a different battlefield...

* * *

Kenneth jumped down the building they were on, the winds once again brushing against him as he carried the Black King in his arms, clutching her tightly which sent enough waves of unidentified emotions to the girl behind the avatar, Kuroyukihime, her cheeks flushed red as she had no other choice but to cling on to him.

In all of her fourteen years of life spent on earth, never has she felt these sort of emotions, the warm, jelly-like feeling deep inside her chest that seemed to bubble and fizz when she was with Haruyuki. At first, she was really irritated with it and she tried her best to reject those emotions, those feelings, but as time passed, and as she further engaged in a personal level with Haru, it grew more and more intense, up to the point where she herself can openly admit that she does, fell in love with him.

But right now, she wasn't with Haru. She was with Kenneth Kusanagi. She was with the person whom she exiled away from her Legion, the person who vowed to destroyed her, and the very same person whom she currently owes a big deal. And she was feeling that weird, hot sensation inside her, as if a fire was lit somewhere, and although she was unsure, she didn't want to accept it either as she already swore that Haruyuki would be her only one yet...

"Are you okay, Hime?" The low and gentle voice of Kenneth asked her as his battered looking dragon helmet glanced down on her.

Surprised at being called 'Hime', her lips pursed to let out a small gasp before replying. "...W-well, I'm fine b-but... H-Hime?" She asked curiously upon hearing her nickname, because only a few select people ever addressed her that way. "...I mean... It's n-not as if I don't allow nor want you to call me like that but... I-it's just... S-so sudden..." She added, bending her neck away from his gaze in embarrassment.

Damn, she thought. They were at a perilous time and yet, she had the time to think and feel like this. What a blunder she concluded.

"Hmm? Why not? It's a fine nickname that really suits you. You look and act like a princess..." Kenneth chuckled, looking happy in spite of the damages and pain he was feeling. "...A spoiled one that is. Hahaha." He further threw a fit laugh at his own sarcasm towards the Black King he was cradling in his arms.

But Kuroyukihime didn't took it as an insult and she just calmly held tighter to the black lancer who was carrying her as the skies around them started changing, bleeding red as they were filled end to end with System Notifications. She couldn't hide the fact that she was happy to herself, and she was actually thinking that she would be happy even if she no longer has control of her own legion, as long as she saves Haru from his fate.

Yes, she is content, and she will fight until the very end, freeing herself from the bonds of the Accelerated World.

"Don't worry, I will see this through, and I will keep my word, until the very end." Whispered the black dragoon as they both descended down at high speeds, the battlefield that surrounds them quickly changing pace as the red Warnings shattered like pixels, changing into a rainbow hued loading interface, before being like hatched out of a cocoon...

"Here we go!" Kenneth grunted as he tightened his grip, clutching Kuroyukihime harder and holding her much more closer to him, where she could even hear the mechanics inside his avatar. Then came the abrupt stop, an ear-splitting halt as the mechanics inside Noir Eraser roared loudly as he redirected his lift in the opposite direction, the thrusters feigning stress as it exhaled reddish exhaust as the wings behind Kenneth fluttered on and off for a little bit, before stabilizing once more.

The main reason for their halt was seen by Kuroyukihime, a few seconds later after she opened her eyes.

The field has transitioned. It completely changed from The New World stage to this... This place that looks like a murky marshland, with a muddle looking muddy swamp to as far as one's vision can go, slightly covered by moss on top, it seemed as if it could trap anything that comes in contact with it. And that's when it all sank to her, at that fleeting moment, she finally realized what was going on.

Hovering over the marsh were the both of them, with Kenneth slowly letting go of Kuroyukihime as they both stayed just a couples of inches off the muddy water. Yeah. Both of them could literally "fly" over the stage obstacle which would, in normal cases and which is true for both the Blue and Green Kings, would sink their bodies and eventually hold and restrict their movements and actions, and as it is a stage obstacles itself, they won't be able to stop it's effect using normal ways, seeing that there aren't anything else except the patches of moss and the muddy water around, and they would have to wait for the next Phase Transition to get out of the mess.

In the distance, a loud splash was heard as the marsh was disturbed, sending large ripples over the expanse of the great lake-like are they were on, most likely, being Vanquish and Grandee free-falling from the building they were on earlier. Glancing towards Kenneth who has now actually regained his usual vigor and stamina and is now poised to strike while the iron is hot, Kuroyukihime steeled her resolve and did the same, her avatar's body battered yet her heart still in perfect condition, her feelings ablaze and that was what's the most important to Burst Linkers, the will to fight, and the resolve to win and emerge victorious.

The two of them nodded at the same time towards each other before letting each of their propulsion system explode in fury, their jet streams releasing a flurry of particles that looked so flashy compared to the dank atmosphere this marshland is providing. The twin lines each of them made while racing just above the water created powerful water jets behind them, spewing murky water towards their back.

In the distance, the Blue and Green Kings picked themselves up in astonishment as they were thrown head over heels as the building they were standing on was eaten by the mirage who bulldozed it off, the concrete structure disappearing into thin air in just a matter of split seconds which sent the two of them free-falling down from almost thirty something floors up.

"What sorcery is this?!" Grunted the Blue Knight as he surfaced out of the brown moss covered murky water, his pure blue armor now cracked in a bunch of places and is now covered with soot, mud and moss, making it look as if it was a camouflage pattern. "Did the stage just Transitioned?! Based on my calculations, the Phase Transition should not occur not until three more hours! H-how could this be?!" He protested under a sigh, glancing towards the recovering Green King.

"It's not the usual Transition that we know of..." With a low, flat voice, the Green King spoke, as if he was a different persona from his earlier joyful tone. "...It is something that was Forced. A System Intrusion, or in short, a Hack." He added as he straightened his back, his armor creaking as it's green color was further deepened by the green moss that latched on to it, making him look like a transient sentinel.

"Gah, thought so. So those kids... Really mean business to stoop this low, huh?" Replied Vanquish, eyeing the advancing jets of water rushing towards them as he brandished his sword, staying behind Grandee in their usual battle position. "...So I guess, this calls for 'that', huh." He whispered behind Grandee, earning a backwards glance from him.

"Uh huh. I'll be injecting the codes into the system now, and I just need... Let's say more or less three minutes." Grandee whispered back as his left hand glided back and forth, black windows popping in and out of his menu rapidly. "Buy me those three minutes, not unless you want to perish in the ands of the Black King." He ended abruptly as the roar of the incoming pair of black avatars grew louder, as he himself backed off, sending the Blue Knight in front of the formation.

"Haha. Don't worry, I'll teach those kids that one does not simply interfere with an honorable fight." He readied his blade, it's ivory color renewed it's sparkle as he sent plasmic blue aura that engulfed it, the searing flames a beautiful yet deadly sight. "EN GARDE!" The Knight bellowed, and although he was hampered by the environment which greatly hindered his mobility, as a King, he has a vast knowledge when it comes to the battlefield lore, and he doesn't hold the nickname 'Legend Killer' for naught.

Speeding towards the area where the disturbance was felt earlier, the two Burst Linkers aligned themselves one behind another, with Kenneth taking the lead, in his classic 'Parry and Dice' maneuver. Closing in, he saw the retreating Green King, his big bulk of a body slowly creeping towards the opposite direction, leaving behind the battered Blue Knight who was in his battle stance, poised to strike, but if his calculations are right, and if Grandee really was retreating, Vanquish will stand no chance against them, and they would annihilate him.

As soon as the lancer closed in, Vanquish released a full brunt of energy, blasted from his sword, which he swung sideways in one fluid sweeping motion, the blue beam traveled in an arc that sped forward, towards the advancing duo.

"As if that'll hit us!" Kenneth shouted as he straightened his body, before letting his thrusters do the magic by blasting exhaust downwards, propelling him upwards, away from the beam's trajectory. Kuroyukihime did the same, the verniers behind her back and legs silently carrying her upwards at the same time as Kenneth. As the beam brushed past them, they re-adjusted their angle to form a swooping dive to the Knight, irregardless even if Kenneth clearly saw he was charging up for another attack, his confidence skyrocketing to new heights.

"Death in a flash! Line... Drive!" His towering loud voice echoed through the expanse as the huge sword he was holding was once again covered in blue flames, now tip pointed forwards, the flames, intensifying as each second passes by, it started to increase in volume, eventually covering up the Knight's hand, arm, up to his shoulders. As soon as the lancer's spear came back into his open range, the Knight released his charge, sending his sword and body upwards to meet the incoming attack.

"Two more minutes." Said Grandee through a private channel, earning a smirk on Vanquish's lips.

"Lotus, we're sticking to the plan!" Confirmed Kenneth before he started chanting his own skill, thanking that the damages they were doing all over the field was causing his Special Attack Gauge to continuously fill. "To infinity! Prelude... Overboost!" He finished his aria, a new one that is, one of three skills he currently is developing under the wraps. His thrusters began glowing more redder, and the exhaust flared up with fury, almost up to a point of scorching the Black King behind him, and his spear ignited black, which he held forwards, prepared to meet the great sword.

*CLAAAANK!*

The resounding echo of metal hitting metal rang loudly, their respective weapons still vibrating as they held on to it with all their might, even if the impact sent both of them staggering for balance in a dazed mode, the recoil throwing them off-balance, and the auras their weapons had exploded at that same instant, which produced fireworks-like bright sparks which showered the immediate area.

"LOTUS! NOW!" Kenneth shouted as he stumbled and staggered away, the force of the impact still lingered in his body, as he felt his knees became jelly-like as a result. Making sure that his efforts will not go in vain, Kenneth confirmed the vengeful approach of the Black King Black Lotus, her slender avatar's body slid like a hot knife through butter in the air, gliding effortlessly as she descended down with grace, her twin sword arms crossed in front of her, which she then placed in a stabbing position, with her right arm pulled backwards.

"I still have thirty seconds to go. I might not make it, bail out." Another harsh message popped on Vanquish's screen, this time, sending him into a maddened state as he re-affirmed that he would either have to deal with this new threat, as he was still in mid-air recoil, his footing dislodged by the swamp, and he was wide open for attacks. He might have to settle for his 'other plan' after all. Vanquish retracted his sword and held the handle in a reverse position, stabilizing his hand and awaiting the perfect moment to...

Kuroyukihime bit her lip tightly, as soon as she saw his actions. What was he thinking of doing? Has he no shame? She thought, as she fully activated her system to give her the speed she needed, forcing her circuits to their maximum output, perhaps even surpassing it's limits as one could even see sparks flying out of her avatar's body. She wanted to end it, she wanted his head but...

"Death by... Barrage!" Her clear voice ran with prestige as the purple glow in her sword arms were released full force, the sharp thrusting stab her sword made emitted a sound close to what a jet plane would have as it takes off, it roared with such force that the surrounding waters made waves, sending torrents of water either rocketing upwards or just randomly rippling violently around their circumference. She was pretty sure the hit landed squarely right on her target but as soon as the dust settled down, yet...

"Th... This can't be..." The gleaming white sword the Knight was holding, which was supposed to be used against other Burst Linkers... Was embedded deep on the Knight's chest, it's blade piercing the pure blue armor, staining it with bluish liquid, it's length running through the Knight's body, the tip thrusted behind him, skewering him thoroughly. "...What... What have you... What have you done?" She said whilst her blade glistened black, pointed just inches away from Vanquish's exposed throat.

"Ha... Haha... Hahahaha..." Instead of voicing out, only a faint laughter escaped the Knight's lips, as he tightened the grip he had on his sword before further impaling himself, blue liquid sputtering out of his mouth which was trembling from the pain he should be feeling threefold. "...Don't think... I'd let you... Kill me... That easily... Augh... Hahaha... HahAhHAHaHA!" He added as his body started to disintegrate into nothingness, and in just a few seconds, exploding into a bright blue pillar of light, marking his grave.

Suicide.

Kuroyukihime has heard about it before, wherein a Burst Linker openly kills himself in order to escape a certain situation. Penalties include loosing thrice as much Burst Points as one would normally loose but, in their case, since the Blue King ended his own life, he would just loose three times Burst Points and not the entire Brain Burst Program itself since technically, he lost against Noir Eraser and Black Lotus BUT, the one who drew blood wasn't the Black King itself, so his Brain Burst will remain intact, and he will just respawn an hour later.

A cowardly tactic coming from a Knight, she thought but nonetheless, whatever happened or whatever Kenneth did, was also the same thing, so she had no right to complain, so did Noir Eraser. Kuroyukihime lowered her blade and focused her attention at the retreating Green Grandee, his bulky avatar now around a good ten meters or so away from them, and his figure was also slowly fading out, it's as if he was transitioning, and in just a few seconds, he just vanished into thin air, as if he wasn't there at all.

"Hahaha. You think you could beat us? Hahaha. Eraser and Lotus, you are far too young to surpass us. And don't you dare think that you could sneak around and do things to the system, young Noir Eraser. Don't think that you're the only one who knows how to do so. Hahahaha." A voice rang out from everywhere, where one could not trace where it came.

The two of them just looked up at the dark skies above them, realizing that their plan was all for naught as they were the ones who got tricked in the end. /SPACE/ "No matter." Kenneth moved closer to Kuroyukihime, calming her still trembling shoulders. "Ending their lives here wasn't our goal in the first place..." He then pointed his spear back towards where the rest of his team was located. "...Come on, he's waiting for you."

Feeling the weight of Kenneth's hand on her shoulder, Kuroyukihime's earlier trance was broken off, and she felt her sense of duty rush back into her consciousness, as she snapped back into reality, getting her mind right back into track, with their original goal, which is to rescue Haruyuki. "You're right. We have no time for this..." She turned towards Kenneth, bluntly noticing the damage his avatar has sustained, he's still Level 7 after all. "But are you sure you're okay?"

"I am... Or more precisely, I will be, don't worry." Kenneth answered back in a determined tone, his bravado still burning inside, wanting to continue and struggle on until his goals are realized. "Come on, we're really running out of time, we might-" Then his words were cut off his mouth, as a popup window by his left hand side, an incoming live transmission from...

"..ater.. raser... ... monster... bro... free... we... c..'nt keep... up..." The static noise prevented him from hearing the full content of the message, but it clearly delivered what it wanted to transmit, and that is that Silver Crow may have broken through the barrier, and things have gotten messy back there at the base camp, which he finalized upon hearing the loud voices from the background, signal that there was a fight on-going behind the person doing the broadcast.

Kenneth gripped his spear tightly, cursing himself for the amount of time he spent uselessly, without even attaining what he came for, and his teammates were paying the price for it, when he promised that he will bring back all of them in one piece, he might have been wrong all along with regards to his calculations.

"You shouldn't carry everything on your back, Kenneth. You have comrades, learn to trust them a little." This time it was Kuroyukihime who went to his side, calmly bumping his shoulder with her own, as she stood side by side with her former Legionmate. "I... Admit I wouldn't have gone even this far without your help, and I admit I really am in your debt even at this point..." She continued, spilling out what she really felt.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I sounded and looked weak just now." Regaining his composure, Kenneth, with his renewed self confidence strengthened his resolve.

The two black colored Burst Linkers stood side by side, their battered, dirty armors were proof of the battles they have gone through, evidence of the bond they shared. They stood ready to take one final dive into the fray, throwing themselves for the sake of their comrades, sacrificing their worth for all that is good.

"...Miyuki..."

"...Haru..."

* * *

A/N: Hi there! Haha it's been forever hasn't it? maybe you perhaps thought I gave up on it eh? Well, I apologize, I was doing a lot of other stuff which severely hampered my writing time, add the fact that for the whole month, I was severely lacking in sleep, which, made my health a little bit on the bluer side but don't worry, as I've said, I won't give this fic up, and I'm pretty much more energized to finish this one up. I proudly say that the next chapter will the the conclusion to this story's first arc, so please keep on reading and spread the Accel World love! Cheers!

- Seiji


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